Insight
by Eyes of Truth
Summary: What if Naruto and his long lost cousin had a bloodline limit that allowed them to see the thoughts and feelings of others? See the impact this has on everyone's lives. NaruHina, possibly others. Ch. 26: More Training and Neji's Date
1. The Mysterious Traveler

What if a mysterious stranger had the power to see past what a person hides? What if Naruto had this same power? See the impact this has on him. NaruHina, possibly others

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in it. The characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

Insight

Chapter 1-The Mysterious Traveler

He had been traveling for quite a while now. He was reaching his limits now. His body ached, his lungs felt like they were on fire. He thought that his muscles would give out any second now. It seemed like this might be the end of him.

The warrior, also known as a shinobi, had been running from enemy ninjas for several months now. After he had killed their shinobis, they sought out revenge on him, but he was gone in a flash just like that. Since then, he has been fleeing from them. But he always seemed to be just one step ahead of his assailants. Just when they think they've got him pinned down, he gets away before they even realize that he's there.

But it seems he pushed his luck a little far this time. He had exhausted too much of his chakra training at his last stop when they came upon him. He wasn't able to perform his genjutsu, which would enable him to get away unnoticed from there location, no matter how hard they tried to find him.

"Dammit, they're catching up to me," He murmured to himself. He estimated their distance behind him. "Hmm, about 2500 meters behind me. Too close for comfort. I gotta do something to throw them off my trail." By channeling what little chakra he was able to muster, he was able to create a single shadow clone. He sent the clone down a side path, and with it traveling down a side path, he began to get to work. He was careful to conceal the tracks he created, as well as dispose of any evidence that he had been in that location; broken branches, ruffled bushes, whatever would potentially reveal that he has been there. These shinobi were no fools; they would easily pick up even the smallest traces of his presence in the area unless he was meticulously thorough in covering his tracks.

It's actually quite amazing that he was able to all of this as fast as he did, considering his current exhaustion. His pursuers were rapidly approaching his position, and if they caught him, in his weakened state, he would undoubtedly be killed.

After he was certain he was done covering his tracks, he went on his way. With his tracks covered, and his shadow clone purposely throwing them off course with the trail it made, he felt safe. However, being safe didn't mean he could put off guard. He still had to maintain the clone, and there was still the chance that his pursuers wouldn't be fooled by his trick. It is for this reason that he didn't take the time to set up traps to slow them down. Doing so would tell them which way he went.

Right now all he could do is hope, and pray that he would be able to escape.

* * *

The pursuers, already hot on his tail, had been especially careful in their chase. Their pray had had often set up traps to stall their progress. However, these did nothing more than stall for a few seconds, but this was more than enough for their prey to get away. Any experienced shinobi knows that a few seconds is all it takes for anything to happen.

These ninjas, whose headbands displayed a bunch of wavy lines, which indicated that they were from the Hidden Mist Village, were getting on their last nerves. Their target had always managed to get away, no matter how hard they tried to catch him. They never could figure out how he kept getting away from them each time.

Several times they had cornered him, and yet each time he got away with the slightest of ease. All they could deduce was that it was some kind of genjutsu. However, they had never heard of any jutsu that would allow such an easy escape from such a difficult position. They had heard of Jiraiya, the legendary Toad Sannin, had developed a jutsu that did something similar, though they were positive that it wouldn't work in the scenarios they got their opponent in. The fact they saw him perform no hand signs for a jutsu was another mystery in of itself.

Soon enough, the leader of the ninja trio had come to a stop. He was a tall man, of medium build, that could probably pass off as a lightweight bodybuilder. He didn't wear too much clothing, since it was his belief that extra clothing was not at all necessary, as it tended to slow shinobis down. The only clothes he wore were a pair of pants designed to trap heat in, the traditional sandals, a couple of pouches designed to hold weapons, and a dark navy blue jonin vest to signify his rank.

"Shinosuke-sama!" yelled out one of the followers. The two of them wore clothing similar to that of their leader, now identified as Shinosuke, though other than that, they were pretty bland. The only difference was that these two were chunins while he was a jonin. "Shinosuke-sama!" The two followers had stopped not far from their leader, since they knew not to get too close to their leader.

Shinosuke was well known in the Hidden Mist Village for being quite ruthless to everyone around him, even his own followers. The Mizukage, the leader of the Hidden Mist, was well aware of his behavior and reputation, yet did nothing about it, since it served as an example to his people to not disrespect their superiors. As for Shinosuke himself, he cared little about those around him, yet he still followed the orders of the Mizukage completely.

In fact it was the only reason that he took this assignment. His mission: to find and assassinate the warrior that had killed a team of Mist ninja on a mission near their village. Eyewitnesses to the event were able to get a description of the ninja, so Shinosuke would little trouble identifying him. As he learned how good this ninja was, he suddenly hadn't felt the need to follow the objective of the mission like originally intended. Now he sought to fight this shinobi one-on-one, solely for the thrill of the fight.

"Shinosuke-sama!" one of the underlings shouted, out of breath. "Do you think you could slow down for just a bit. We can't keep up with your speed."

Their leader turned to him, his emerald eyes glaring at him. The follower was instantly petrified, feeling like he would die right then and there.

In an instant, Shinosuke had vanished, and all of a sudden had the Mist chunin down on the ground, with a metallic pole being pushed down on his chest. From a cursory glance, one would assume that the pole was lightweight. However, as the petrified shinobi could attest to, it was in fact very heavy.

"If you cannot keep up with me, it means you are weak. If you are weak, that means you should be dead." Shinosuke simply said, still glaring down at hid underling.

"P-Please don't, Shinosuke-sama. I-I'm sorry. I p-promise I won't complain anymore." The frightened chunin stuttered out.

"Hmm, since you so loyal, I'll let you live… for now." Shinosuke said as an afterthought. Turning around, he looked at his surroundings, his short silver hair swaying in the breeze.

"Something the matter, Shinosuke-sama?" The other chunin asked with curiosity.

"Yes. It seems that our target is being quite careless this time around." Before his minion could ask further, he continued. "He's leaving out a trail for us to follow. His exhaustion must be making him forget to cover his tracks."

"Are you sure, sir. It seems like an obvious ploy to throw us off our course." The follower contradicted.

"No. He couldn't have done that. The other potential path he could have taken would lead him to the Hidden Leaf Village. From our travels, I learned that he tends to steer clear of shinobi villages, for some reason. He knows the terrain of these regions well, so he would know that the other way leads to Hidden Leaf, and would avoid it like the others. So there's only one way he could've gone." Shinosuke said as his downed lackey was getting up.

"Alright you two, let's get moving." Shinosuke said, as he started ahead. The two followers said nothing, and followed after their leader.

* * *

"Looks like I gave those guys the slip." said the stranger as he could sense that they were going down the path his clone had set up for him. It seems the gods were smiling down on him this day.

"I should make my way towards the village . Hopefully someone there will be able to help me." He thought as he began making his way to the Hidden Leaf Village, trying to ignore the extent of his injuries.

**Author's Note:** Hello, this is my first story , so please rate and review.


	2. A Bunch of Fools

**Author's Note:** Just a small notice. There is a small summary of the most recent manga chapters in this chapter. It also gives you the idea of when this story takes place.

Chapter 2- A Bunch of Fools

Shinosuke was furious. At first he thought that the target's carelessness would be key in guiding him to him. However, he felt like the fool for falling for such an obvious ploy. It turns out he had been deliberately led down the wrong path the entire time. And he wasn't going to let his so-called "comrades" let his blunder get out to the general public.

"If either of you speak a word of this to ANYONE, you'll be dead before you even realize anything had happened at all." Shinosuke gritted out, trying to hold back his anger.

"S-S-Sure thing, S-S-Shinosuke-s-sama." The frightened chunin said, stumbling on his own words, while his companion merely grunted his response, clearly not too intimidated by his leader much, although he was aware he was capable of carrying out such threats if the situation called for it. Instead, he had another question on his mind.

"Sir, do you know of any reason why he would go to Hidden Leaf Village?" He was able to get out, considering his temper.

Fortunately for him, Shinosuke had cooled down somewhat. "No reason that I can think of, Akio. I had reviewed a profile on him that Mizukage-sama had given to me. According to the records, he shows no affiliation to any of the hidden villages. He has shinobi training, yet he doesn't wear any headband."

"He's got no village affiliation, yet he's got the training of a shinobi, and experience that can rival jonins. Are you sure that he has no village affiliation?" The chunin Akio inquired, quite confused by this mystery.

"Positive. Our target is a wanderer. He never stays in one place for too long. With this kind of behavior, you would assume that he's a missing nin, trying to make a living for himself. Wouldn't you agree?" Akio simply nods. "The data that had been gathered on him has shown that he isn't listed in the bingo book for any hidden village. If he isn't listed, there are only two potential scenarios. One, he's been declared dead. Two, he has no affiliation to a village, so one couldn't legally give him a bingo book entry. Since he's alive, and they wouldn't declare a person of his skill dead without solid proof of it, the first option is out, leaving only the second option." Shinosuke explained, unknowingly he answered some of the questions that Akio would have asked.

"S-Sir. Might I make a suggestion?" Their companion asked.

"What is it, Satoshi?" Shinosuke said, not liking having to deal with this coward.

"Um, since it seemed like our target is injured, he won't be going anywhere soon. P-Perhaps we should wait in Tanzaku City for him to make a move. It isn't too far from where we are now, a-and we could recuperate there while w-we plan our next m-move." Satoshi said, while watching Shinosuke's glare on him.

The jonin thought his idea over for a moment. He did raise a good point. The injuries they had managed to inflict on him in their last encounter hadn't been too much, but it would be enough to put him out of commission for at least a couple of weeks, even for someone of his talents. Plus, he could use some R & R. Maybe get a bath as well. Even though Shinosuke was a ruthless killer, even he didn't like having to be constantly dirty all the time.

"Seems like a good idea, Satoshi. We'll head to Tanzaku, and wait for him to make a move. Move out!" Shinosuke commanded with an authority that demanded respect.

"Yes, sir!" Said the two chunin as they made there way towards Tanzaku City. Satoshi could only slightly smile. At least he got a small amount of respect from Shinosuke.

* * *

"How much farther is this place?" the wanderer wheezed out, barely on the verge of passing out from exhaustion. He had been traveling for about three hours after escaping from the Mist trio, and it had not been the simplest of tasks. His injuries had slowed him down considerably; his chakra had been running on virtually empty, and he had a splitting headache to go along with it. The only thing he could see that was positive about his situation was that he was no longer being pursued… for the time being at least. 

That encounter he had with them was not exactly what he had wanted. Normally, he would have been able to get away with no problem. He had felt like a fool for allowing himself to get caught like that. But they had cleverly ambushed him at a time when he was weakened, so he couldn't get away as quickly as he had hoped, but they inflicted some pretty bad injuries on him before he got away. Nothing fatal, but things could take a turn for the worse if he didn't find some medical attention soon.

He got pulled out of his own thoughts by a large towering structure just ahead of him, and a small smile crept its way up his lips. He had finally reached the village.

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The villagers were out and about, going on with there lives with little care about anything in the world; kinda ironic for a village of shinobi. Yet there seemed to be one person's mood that was brighter than the rest. 

A young man, around the age of fifteen was walking down the street, with a rather large smile on his face. He wore a orange sweater with black embroidering the shoulders and arms, as well as pants in a similar fashion. His eyes opened to reveal two cerulean orbs that seem to capture a boundless amount of confidence and determination in them. On his forehead rested a headband emblazoned with a Leaf mark, indicating he was shinobi. His bright blond hair swayed with the wind as he made his down the street. But the most peculiar thing about him were the birthmarks on his cheeks that looked much like whiskers. His name was Naruto Uzumaki.

As Naruto walked down the street, people were curious as to why he was so happy. Of course, no one had the courage to go up and ask him about it. Some people resented the boy, for he held in him a beast of unimaginable power that is simply known as Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox.

But Naruto paid little attention to the glares he received from some of the villagers. He had been a little wrapped up in his thoughts as he made it to his destination: Ichiraku Ramen.

Teuchi, the caretaker of the stand, was more than delighted to see his number one customer come in. "It's been awhile since you've been here, Naruto. So what'll you be having today?" Teuchi asked.

"I'll have 5 bowls of miso, okay old man?" Naruto said, happy to finally get back after his last mission. Teuchi nodded and prepared to make blond boy's meal.

While waiting, the Kyuubi container was recollecting his previous mission. He had been sent out as sort of a last minute entry to the mission as backup with his team, with consisted of the pink-haired medic nin Sakura Haruno, the young man known simply as Sai, and the ANBU squad captain Yamato. Their objective was to rendezvous with Team 8, at the time being led by Kakashi, to aid in their mission objective: to either capture or eliminate the 2 members of Akatsuki, known as Hidan and Kakuzu.

As soon as his first bowl arrived, he began to think back to what the scene was like when he had arrived. Kakashi was looking a little worse for wear than he normally did, and his two comrades, Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi weren't looking much better. He'd looked to see where their last teammate, Shikamaru Nara, was, but he was nowhere in sight. After Kakashi had said that the lazy genius was off alone fighting Hidan, he grew kind of concerned for his friend. After all, Shikamaru is just a chunin, and his opponent was an S-ranked missing nin. However, after Shikamaru came back and said he won, he was actually kind of jealous he took down a member of Akatsuki all by himself.

He then thought back to his battle, and his opponent Kakuzu. In Naruto's opinion, he looked more like a Frankenstein than a ninja, with the way his body was sewn together. He was kind of surprised that his opponent had five hearts, two of which had already been taken out by the time he arrived.

He himself had not been in the best condition upon entering the battle. He literally just came from a rather difficult training session, where he was learning to combine his wind-natured chakra with his most powerful jutsu: the Rasengan. In the end, the results of his training came out, and created the Rasen Shuriken, which nearly obliterated Kakuzu on contact.

He was happy that all of his training had paid off. Now that he has completed the training, he is hoping that the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, would give him a mission that involved going to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha, the apprentice to the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, a former shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, and the person he considered his best friend.

The thoughts of his friend dwelled in his mind as he finished his last bowl of ramen, paid his bill, and made his way out of the stand. Every day, he thinks back to Sasuke's betrayal, and still can't comprehend why he ever decided to leave the village to join that snake bastard. He more puzzling is that the traitor was aware of what his new master wanted to do with him, and yet showed no signs of actually caring about this information.

He travel through town had brought him near the gates of the village. Naruto was shaken out of his thoughts when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards the gates and braced himself for a possible attack. Even though he wouldn't admit it too himself, he still hasn't recovered fully from his last mission, usually not a good position to be in for a ninja.

When he saw the figure panting on all fours he dropped his guard and showed a look of concern on his face. The stranger wore a gray cloak that seemed to cut off short at his mid-forearms. The pants he wore were of a forest green shade, which indicated to any shinobi that he had been wearing these clothes for camouflage purposes. Strapped to his back appeared to look like a sheath to a sword, yet the blond boy only took a brief glance at it before turning to his face. He looked to about seventeen, two years older than himself. His hair was brown, and stretched a bit down to the middle of his next. The last thing he noticed was a pair of dark blue eyes that seemed to be interlaced with just a tiny bit of yellow.

After taking note of these features, Naruto heard the teenager say, "P-Please h-h-help me." Before he fell into unconsciousness.

**Author's Note:** Well, I have the second chapter up for all to read. Please rate and review, I curious as to how oyu think I'm doing with my story.


	3. Introductions Are In Order

Hello, this is Eyes of Truth. It may seem like the first couple of chapters were pretty boring, but they primarily served to introduce some of the characters. The next few chapters will serve as a look into the traveler.

Chapter 3- Introductions Are In Order

He felt at peace. He no longer felt any pain, as if he had never been hurt at all.

This felt unusual to him. Ever since the death of his mother, he has been alone. He had remembered that day vividly. Ninjas had entered the village in which he was living, who had come as representatives from a distant land. In their meeting with the mayor of the village, they had requested the use of the land and its resources. Around this time, war had broken out between some of the smaller shinobi villages in the area. The ninjas felt that they could gain a tremendous edge in the war if they had access to the land.

Unfortunately, the mayor refused them the access. It's not that surprising really. This village had chosen to remain neutral to the conflicts of the outside world. Considering the resources at their disposal, they could turn the tide of any war they could get involved in. However, this also meant that they would be a prime target by the enemy nations. Many lives would be lost in the countless battles for the land. The mayor understood this, and that's why he turned them away, to protect his village.

That night, an explosion rocked the village. Their worst fear had been realized; they were under attack. No one was able to discern the identities of their attackers. Very few people had managed to get away with their lives, and those that did were too frightened to learn the identities of the assailants.

Out of a town of about 1000 inhabitants, only about 150 survived, including one young boy of about the age of eight, who had witnessed his mother die before his very eyes.

He involuntarily smiled upon remembering his mother. She was a beautiful woman, with long flowing red hair, and dark brown eyes, and had only ever been seen wearing a kimono. She always wore a smile on her face wherever she went, and was especially friendly, polite, and well-loved by all the villagers. People often had mistaken her to be an angel.

She had told him at a young age that they had once been members of a shinobi clan, however that clan has all but died out, and now it is just down to them. She had taught him some of the basics of ninja abilities; chakra manipulation, transformation, and substitution. However, he never got to complete his training since what he assumed to be an enemy ninja had killed her that night.

Since then, he had been all over, learning the ways of the shinobi, to fight to become stronger so that one day he might avenge his mother. Yet without knowing who killed her, it almost seemed pointless to try. Yet he would find him someday.

* * *

What felt like an everlasting peace was soon replaced by a constant beeping sound. With a small groan and a little strain he was able to open his eyes to what that sound was.

"_A hospital? How did I get here?_" Suddenly, memories of the past few days returned to him. His training session in the small town, the encounter with that trio of Mist ninjas, his escape from the battle, his clever deception tactics, and his arrival in the village, where he saw what he thought was a blonde haired boy. He couldn't remember all that well, since his vision was blurry at this point, and couldn't really remember that much. "_I'll have to thank whoever it was that got me here._"

He was pulled from his thoughts by a voice that had sounded over the constant beeping. " Hello. Are you doing alright?" He turned his head to where he heard the voice. What he saw was a young girl, probably younger than himself , standing next to his bed. She was wearing a standard nurse's outfit on, though it seemed to customized to be a red color. He was able to get a glimpse of what appeared to be pouch on her back, indicating that she was a shinobi, probably a medic nin. What really caught his attention was that she had a full head of pink hair, along with a pair of bright emerald eyes.

"_Pink hair? First time I've ever seen that._" he thought to himself. Then he realized he hadn't answered the girl's question, who was staring intently at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I think I'm doing alright, though I feel sore all over." He said as tried to move his muscles, which wouldn't respond to his commands no matter how hard he tried.

"That's to be expected. When you were brought in, you were suffering from several broken ribs, scarred muscle tissue in your arms and legs, severe internal bleeding, not to mention chakra exhaustion. If you had been brought in about an hours later, you would've died." She said as she was looking over his medical charts.

"Well, that's a comforting thought, I guess. I take it you're the one that has taken care of me?" The girl simply nodded her head. "Aren't you a little young to be playing nurse?"

A vein throbbed on the pink haired nurse's forehead after he said those words, and would've put him in his place as well with a good punches when she remember Tsunade told her to never harm any patients, no matter how obnoxious or rude that they may be. This was just one of the many things that the Slug Sannin had taught her as she trained to be a medic nin… who happened to possess super strength.

"If you weren't a patient, you've been dead meat with that comment, so consider yourself lucky that you get off easy. I've trained under the legendary medic nin Tsunade, so I'm not the pushover I may seem." She said trying to hold back her fury, while at the same time pushing forth an aura of confidence.

"Tsunade?" replied the young man. A brief flicker crossed his eyes as he processed this information. Tsunade known throughout the world as the greatest medic nin that ever lived. It's said that there is no problem that she cannot fix. Well, medically speaking, that is. She can't just seem to fix the problem of the debts she has acquired from her chronic gambling addiction.

Yet, if what this girl was saying is true, than she must indeed be a very skilled shinobi, and he could only guess that she also picked up on Tsunade's bad temper and super strength. And something deep in his gut told him he was right on all accounts..

"My apologies. I wasn't aware that you had been training under Tsunade. I was under the impression that you were a medic nin-in-training, and that the injuries I incurred were beyond what a medic of that level would be able to fix up. Again I apologize." He said, looking as sincere as possible.

Sakura merely looked at him in slight disbelief. She hadn't expected him to be so forthcoming with an apology, and especially with just one tiny little joke. There was definitely more to this boy than meets the eye…

"Well, you're definitely much more polite than _some_ people I know, so I guess I can forgive you this time." She said, thinking about a certain blond haired boy she has to put with. "Just make sure you don't pull anything over on me again like that, or you'll be sorry." She finished with a warning tone, while cracking her knuckles, indicating that she would carry out such a threat.

The man in question involuntarily gulped at those words. "U-Um s-sure." He managed to stammer out. He was actually surprised at himself. He never stuttered in fear in his life before this time. No matter how experienced a shinobi, he was sure he would never understand the mind of a woman. "_Damn women and their mood swings. Always got to make things difficult._"

"By the way, my name is Sakura Haruno. If you need any assistance of any kind, you can just ring that buzzer next to your bed, and either me or one of the other nurses will be along to assist you in any way we can." She said like an answering machine. It was pretty basic for nurses to introduce themselves in this fashion, so Sakura knew this speech by heart.

"Thank you, Sakura-san. I'll be sure to buzz incase I need anything." He said with a small smile on his face.

Sakura simply smiled in response. "No problem. By the way, what's your name? When you were brought in, you were unconscious, and you were from out of town, so your name can't be looked up." She explained, quite curious as to whom he was.

"I guessing you're more interested in knowing who I am for more than just official purposes, right?" Sakura again nodded, a bit embarrassed that she had been found out that easily. "Well, since you had been so nice to me during my stay here, I'll tell you. My name is Masaru. Masaru Kokaku.

Reviews, Comments, and Criticisms are all appreciated.


	4. One Headache After Another

Well, it took somewhat longer to get this out than I expected, but with projects and tests, I managed to finish, so here it is.

Chapter 4 – One Headache After Another

"Masaru Kokaku?" The young man simply nodded. "Alright Masaru-san, I appreciate this. Well if you'll excuse me I'll b-" Sakura never got to finish her sentence, as she was interrupted by someone yelling.

"Sakura-chan! SAKURA-CHAN!" A certain loudmouthed blonde yelled as he was entering the room, only to be stopped in his tracks by a fist straight to the head.

"IDIOT! This is a HOSPITAL! You're supposed to be quiet and allow the patients to rest." Sakura scolded, having to lecture Naruto EACH time he came to the hospital like that.

"Sorry. Sorry, Sakura-chan. I wanted to see if he has come to his senses or not." Naruto apologized, hoping to quell his teammates wrath. He noticed the man in the bed was awake, and seemed to have a questioning look on his face.

Masaru, during this time, could feel a pretty bad headache coming to him. "_Are those two always like this? They're only a couple of years younger than me, yet they act like they're little kids._" He then took note of the clothes that the newcomer, namely the headband and the sweater. "_This kid is a shinobi, and yet he is wearing an orange sweater. That suit is practically screaming 'Here I am! Come kill me! Well, I suppose it could've been worse. He could've been wearing a completely orange jumpsuit._" Masaru was, at best, just trying not to scream out at this kid's stupidity.

Naruto ran over to the bed, despite Sakura's protests to let him rest, and immediately questioned him. "Are you doing alright, mister? You looked pretty banged up when I found you."

Masaru, on the other hand only felt his headache getting worse. "_Is he always this loud? Why do I feel like I've died and gone to hell_" He thought to himself before answering the boy's question. "Yes, I'm doing alright. And the name is Masaru, not mister." He said, feeling pretty annoyed by the boy in front of him.

The Kyuubi container was pretty annoyed with the way he just got shoved off like that. "Oh yeah Masaru-teme. My name's Naruto Uzumaki! I'm gonna be Hokage someday, just you wait." The previously mentioned boy announced, who felt the need to proclaim his goal for the millionth time… in Sakura's mind at least.

"_Well, he's definitely got spirit and motivation. I'll give him that much. However, as he is right now, he just couldn't cut it as a Hokage._" Masaru thought to himself, slightly happy this kid intended to go for something worthwhile. Then his mind remembered something that he must've missed earlier.

"Hang on. You said you were the one that brought me here earlier, right?" Naruto was slightly surprised by how he so quickly changed the subject. However, he was still compelled to answer his question. "Yeah. I found you by the village gates. You said to me that you needed help before you passed out. So I quickly went and brought you to the hospital, where Sakura-chan took care of you." He said as he turned to the girl, who was about to make her way out the door. "Where are you going, Sakura-chan?"

The pink-haired medic nin turned her head slightly to answer him. "I'm going to go report to Tsunade-sama. She wanted me to report to her when he had woken up, though I'm not entirely sure why. Now don't stay too long, Naruto. Masaru-san still needs to get some rest." She said leaving the room.

Masaru brought up a question to Naruto since it was currently on his mind. "Naruto, I'd like to know. How long have I been out for? When you're unconscious you kind of lose track of time." He said with a small chuckle.

Naruto thought it was funny, but didn't have it in him to laugh. "You've been out of it for about three days. I was kind of worried about you at some points because I thought you wouldn't make it."

"Three days? Well I guess it could've been worse." He said while his mind was thinking on a completely matter. "_This kid definitely has a big heart, to feel concern for someone he's never met before. For all he knows I could've been an assassin sent to kill him. If he wants to be Hokage, he needs much more common sense than that._"

The two remaining occupants in the room sat there in an awkward silence when Masaru broke the ice. "Well, since you were the one that brought me in here, I suppose I should thank you. Perhaps I should treat you to a meal sometime." Masaru felt that he should at least be nice to the boy in someway, since he was the one that inevitably saved his life, even though he was kind of a jerk to him in their first real encounter with each other. Though Masaru would later learn that this was one of the biggest mistakes he would ever make.

Masaru suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of his wallet when he saw the gigantic grin cross Naruto's face. "All right! When you get out of here, I'll show you around the village and you can treat me at Ichiraku Ramen. It's the best food you'll ever have."

The bedridden teen then learned something new about the boy in that one moment. He was an addict for ramen. No serious connoisseur of any kind of food would proclaim anything was the best ever in that fashion. Only an addict to the food would do such a thing. Even though he himself enjoyed ramen, he only did so from time to time, since he was always on the move, so he had to travel lightly, and not every place in the world sold ramen.

Truth be told, he was kind of curious as to see how things worked inside the village. He knew all about the various hidden villages from his mother, as well as their history. It was among the lessons that she put him through everyday. However, that knowledge didn't help him understand the villages too much, since the knowledge didn't get applied in any real scenario for him. Taking a tour around the village might not be such a bad thing at all.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the doorknob turning. "Naruto. I'm sure Sakura has already told you this, but you need to keep it down in the hospital. There are patients trying to get their rest." Said the commanding voice from the door, with a very deep authoritative tone.

The door opened and before him was a tall blonde-haired woman. She wore pretty standard black pants that hugged her figure, along with a light gray tunic that acted much similarly to her pants. Over top her tunic was a dark green jacket, and using the mirror on the wall, he was able to make out the word 'Gamble' inscribed on the back of it. But the most prominent feature of the woman before him was that she was pretty… well endowed for lack of a better term.

There was no doubt in his mind who this was. He was before Tsunade, the Slug Sannin, the legendary medic nin, as well as the Fifth Hokage of the Leaf Village.

"Baa-chan, I know already. But I got excited since he offered to treat me to a meal when he got out of here." Naruto said, bearing his trademark foxy grin.

"I'm gonna guess you chose ramen for the meal. You're too easy to predict, Naruto." Tsunade said, before she turned her attention to the person who was in bed. "I take it that Sakura has already informed you of your condition. Well, judging from what I had been told already on your condition, you should be up and able to move around in about a week, but you'll need about another week after that before you can actually do much of anything."

"Well, I suppose a couple of weeks here won't do me any harm, Tsunade-chan." He said smoothly.

The Hokage had a large vein throbbing on her forehead when he finished that statement, but before she could scold him, he spoke. "I'm guessing that you don't remember me, do you Tsunade-chan? We met about six years ago, when I was much younger than I am right now."

Her face dawned in realization at what he said, suddenly remembering a young boy from her past. The only person that ever called her Tsunade-chan… and not get pummeled for it. "Masaru-kun. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at first. You've grown so much."

"And you're still the same woman I met six years ago. It's good to see you again." Masaru said with a genuine smile on his face.

"You know baa-chan? How do you know baa-chan?" Naruto said, quite perplexed that these two were exchanging pleasantries like old friends.

"It's alright if I tell, right Tsunade-chan?" She simply nodded. "You might as well sit down, Naruto. It's quite an interesting story."

Reviews, Comments, and Criticisms all appreciated.


	5. A Blast To The Past

Chapter 5- A Blast to the Past

_(Flashback)_

_Eleven-year-old Masaru was traveling through the woods at a pretty fast pace, training his speed, so that he might be able to one day become a great shinobi that could avenge his mother. These thoughts were all that was keeping him going, and as a result he had taken on a cold demeanor, and pushed away anyone that had dared try and get close to him._

_He has thus far pushed himself for six hours straight, when he came across a town not much farther ahead. Hearing his stomach let out a rather large growl, he sighed and made his way into town, hoping to find some half decent food._

_His travels had eventually brought him to a sushi bar near the town square. Being a fan of sushi, he quickly made his way in. Ordering a couple of plates, he took a glimpse around the area, trying to decide what he should do after he ate. Looking around, he simply sighed. "This town is pretty bland. Nothing special here." He thought to himself, before hearing the laughter of what seemed to be a woman. He turned to look at where the sound was coming form, and found a blonde-haired woman, which had been the one laughing. Next to her were a black-haired woman, who appeared to be somewhat younger than the other, as well as a pig, wearing a necklace, and a red jacket. Finding nothing else to do until the sushi was done, he decided to listen in on what was going on._

"_I'm telling you Shizune, I'll win back the money I lost at the last casino, and then I'll pay back the debts I owe." Said the blonde woman to her friend, now identified as Shizune._

_With the way she was acting, the small slur he could detect in her voice, and with the small glass she had with her, it was easy to tell she was getting drunk._

"_Tsunade-sama. You said you would win at the next casino last time, and the time before that, and the time before that. You and I both know that your luck is atrocious. You can't expect me to believe that you'll win next time, right?" Shizune scolded_

_At this time, his sushi had arrived, so he felt it pointless to continue listening in on them, and decided to eat. After he finished eating, he paid his bill and tried to see if he could find a place to stay._

_As he looked around the town, he noticed that it wasn't too big, but it wasn't exactly small either. It seemed like it was the kind of place to live for people who weren't poor, but weren't at the economic standing of a noble. He also assumed this was the kind of place a missing nin would hide out. They were never very poor, yet they would make themselves nobles. If they did, their reputations would spread quickly, and the hunter nins would be on their tail just like that. They were smart enough to know to avoid such actions, lest they be caught and executed by their home village._

_He was so caught up in his analysis of the city he failed to notice the person in front of him, and he had a rough bump with the person._

_He quickly started to apologize to the person in front of him, yet didn't know or take into account several things. One, the person he bumped was drunk. Two, that person was a woman. Three, he was at least tall enough to reach up to her chest. And finally, she happened to be a super strong woman._

"_YOU PERVERT!!!" The woman yelled out before she cocked her fist back and let out one strong punch. As the Slug Sannin, she has exceptional chakra control, which is what allows her to utilize her super strength. Her charka control has in fact reached such a level, that she it's become reflexive for her, even when she's drunk. Needless to say, her 'assailant' was sent flying._

"_Hmph. Well that takes care of that." Tsunade said, dusting off her hands, and walking away from the scene._

_Shizune on the other hand, went after the young boy who was just mercilessly assaulted by her teacher for a misunderstanding. Tsunade wouldn't realize she was missing in her drunken state._

_She soon found the boy lying against a wall about a half a mile away from where he was launched from. She saw the condition he was in and immediately began healing him. After a few minutes, his condition had been stabilized and was beginning to wake up._

"_Ugh. What was the number of the horse that hit me?" Masaru asked, still feeling a little groggy._

"_You should take it easy for now, or you might reopen some of your wounds." A woman said to him, as he managed to focus his vision a little to see the woman from before._

"_I'm guessing I have you to thank. Shizune, was it?" The woman gasped that he already knew her name, but he continued before she could speak. "I overheard part of your conversation with Tsunade when you were at that bar."_

"_Well you should know it isn't polite to eavesdrop on peoples conversations, young man." Shizune scolded._

"_Eavesdropping? I bet everyone in a 50 meter radius could hear it." He said, chuckling a bit, remembering that Tsunade liked to gamble. "The name's Masaru by the way."_

"_Well, Masaru. Tsunade-sama gets like that whenever perverts are involved. It probably would've been worse if she wasn't so drunk and could see more clearly. Anyway, a little later on, when she's more sober, I'll take you to her so she can properly apologize. Who knows, maybe she'll loosen up a bit." She said laughing._

_A little later on, Masaru and Shizune went to hotel she was staying at, not surprised to see Tsunade already there._

"_Shizune, where have you been, and who is he?" Tsunade said, a little peeved at the moment._

_Shizune explained to Tsunade who the boy was, as well as his reasons for being there. She quickly apologized for what she did after realizing she attacked a child._

"_Eh, it's no big deal, just try to be more aware of what's going on." Masaru said flatly._

"_What's with you? You seem to have a lot going on in your head for someone your age. And you won't leave until you tell me." Tsunade said, who didn't like the way he spoke to her._

_Masaru then explained his past to her, being careful about the details, and saying how he wanted to get revenge for his mother's death. All the while Tsunade and Shizune were listening intently. When he finished, the elder woman had a small frown on her face._

"_Kid, I can see you're intent on revenge, but you're not going about it the right way." He looked up at her in shock before she continued. "Even if you do get revenge, it won't bring her back to life, and actually getting your revenge would just leave you with an empty feeling inside." She said solemnly, memories of her kid brother and boyfriend flashing through her head._

"_So what do you suggest I do?" Masaru said, quite curious._

"_My advice, enjoy life. You only live once, and you won't be able to enjoy it if you focus solely on one thing. Take the time to appreciate what's around you. Besides, I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you to throw away your life for her sake."_

_That last statement shook him to his core. She was right; his mother wouldn't want him to do that. She would have wanted him to live his life for himself, and not for her._

"_How do I go about enjoying life?" He honestly asked. Shizune and Tsunade both ace-faulted with that question._

"_How about this? You spend sometime with me and Shizune, and we'll show you how to enjoy life." Tsunade said, and Shizune went wide-eyed realizing where this was leading, but decided against saying anything._

_And thus the three traveled together for several weeks before Masaru said he should follow his own path._

_(End Flashback)_

"You see Naruto, because of her, I was able to change who I was. I stopped being a person focused solely on revenge, and was able to enjoy like much more completely." Masaru finished, with a smile on his face remembering those events. "Also, it was during the time I spent with her over the next couple of weeks that I started calling her Tsunade-chan. She thought it was pretty cute. I also learned some medical ninjutsu from them during that time. Nothing too big, mainly just how to heal flesh wounds. I was only able to really get that down before I decided to part from them, mainly because I was still a loner by nature."

Naruto, on the other hand, was sort of mixed on the story. "That was great Masaru-san. Anyone that can piss off baa-chan like that gets my respect. I just wish Sasuke was more like you." Naruto said, with a broad grin plastered on his face.

"What was that, brat?" Tsunade retorted, with flames dancing in her eyes, promising intense pain in the immediate future. Naruto gulped, and Masaru could only chuckle, before asking a question that brought them out of their reverie.

"Sasuke?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow. Instantly, the atmosphere in the room changed drastically. Both Tsunade and Naruto carried solemn looks on their faces, remembering his betrayal to the Leaf. They were both wondering if Masaru should know about this or not.

"Naruto? Tsunade-chan?" He asked. Naruto just got up and left room without a word.

"What's with him, Tsunade-chan?" inquiring to his old friend, who still carried that look on her face.

"What you had just asked was a very sensitive subject for him. It's not my place to tell you exactly what that is. Perhaps in time, Naruto will loosen up to you, and tell what it is. Until then, you just need to be patient." Tsunade said, before going over some tests on Masaru.

"Well, everything looks fine, though you'll still need about a week before you are fully recovered. When that happens, I'd like to speak to you in my office in the Hokage mansion." Tsunade continued.

"Anything important?"

"Just a couple of things, some things are important, but mostly I just want to catch up with you." Tsunade answered, with a small smile on her. "Anyway, since Sakura was mainly assigned to you to watch until you awakened, she'll be on duty in assisting other patients. For the rest of your stay here, Ino Yamanaka shall be your nurse."

Masaru didn't seem too happy. "_Yamanaka, huh?_" He thought. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, that name just struck a bell in him, and it carried along with it feelings of bitter contempt. It was like an old memory long since buried away was trying to resurface. However, since Tsunade ordered it, he wasn't about to question her decision on the matter, and would try to figure this out later.

"Okay, Tsunade-chan" He said, as the Hokage was making her way out of the room, but not before she left him with some parting words.

"Masaru, I know you're curious about Sasuke, but I'm just going to tell you once. Don't use your 'methods' to find out Naruto's past with him. It might hurt Naruto more if you were to find out that way." She said in an authoritative, yet sincere voice.

Masaru simply nodded, knowing exactly what she meant by 'methods.'

**Author's Note:** Hope you all liked Masaru's past with Tsunade. Though I feel like I could've handled it better. Just not sure if I got the characters down right then. Let me know what you thought of the flashback, okay.


	6. Angry Divas And Calming Wind

Chapter 6- Angry Divas And Calming Wind

Masaru was annoyed and bored out of his mind. It has been several hours since Tsunade had visited him, and since then there had been nothing he could do. His body was still in a great deal of pain, too much so to try and move around at all. Because of this, he couldn't find any activities he could really do except count the dots on the tiles of the ceiling.

Normally, if he had been bored he would find something to do like practice his kenjutsu, or play a tune on his flute, however neither of these options was viable if he couldn't move his arms.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the squeaking of the nearby doorknob, and entering the room had been a girl, about the age of fifteen, with long blond hair that would reach down to near to her waist, were purple outfit seemed like it would blend in perfectly with the nighttime sky.

"Hello. My name is Ino Yamanaka. I'm the nurse that will be taking care of you for the duration of your stay." She said. Ino mentally sighed. She hated giving this speech to the patients. It seemed so bland, which contrasted with the image she tried to create for herself.

"You just got here now? I kind of figured you would have been here hours ago." Masaru said, trying to get a rise out of the new girl, partly because of his own boredom, and partly because he didn't like her for an unplaced reason.

It worked. "Who are you to complain? I may not be quick, but remember that you're not the only person in this hospital. If you weren't a patient, I'd throttle you for that remark." The blonde girl said, whose face was still red with anger.

"Ok. Sorry. You seemed more like a person that would care more about your appearance than your skills as a shinobi." He said. It was fun to piss off this girl. He could literally see the steam coming out of her ears.

She would have said something, but remember what Tsunade had said, in how he was an old friend of hers, and dare not invoke the wrath of her superior. Instead she just calmed a bit and headed for the door.

"If you'll be needing anything, just ring the buzzer." Ino said slamming the door behind her. Masaru simply smirked a bit. Oh well, there's still more time for fun. Even though he didn't necessarily like the Yamanaka for some reason, it was fun to torment them.

* * *

The next week had been both fun and hell for Masaru. Several rises out of Ino, and he been slapped with a genjutsu that made him think he was naked in front of a window, beyond which was a bunch of female doctors. They continued to subtly torment each other until it was time for Masaru to check out of the hospital. 

"Finally I can do something. It's been way to boring in that place." He said, wearing his gear, and not that tacky hospital gown he was forced to wear.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was kind of glad to at least be staying here in the village, if at least for a little while. It gave him a sense of security he hasn't felt in years. Not since his mother…

He was pulled from those thoughts when he remembered he was to go see Tsunade at her office. Even though he had never been to the Leaf Village before, he would have to be blind to not know where to go. He made his way towards the red building near the Hokage monument.

Along the way he saw the blonde boy, Naruto, whom he had met a week ago. He didn't really pay any heed until he heard a shout. "Masaru-san!" Yelled Naruto as he caught up with Masaru. "Don't you want to take that tour around the village like you said you would?"

"_Damn! I forgot about that!_" He thought, cursing himself mildly. "I didn't forget Naruto, but it'll have to wait a bit. Tsunade-chan had asked me to see her at her office when I got out."

"Tsunade-baa-chan wants to see you?" The elder boy nodded. "Alright I guess, do you want to meet up after your meeting?

"Okay. I guess just meet me by the hospital, it's the only other place I really know here." Masaru said, at least looking forward to seeing the village, but not seeing it with Naruto.

"Okay, see you later." Naruto said, before just vanishing.

"_What a weird kid._" Masaru thought, before making his way into to the Hokage mansion, but not without noticing the glares that seemed plastered on the people's faces. "_Now that is even weirder._" He thought curiously before departing. It took him a good five minutes before his arrival.

What he saw definitely surprised him. It was about five stories tall, and seemed to take a semi-spherical shape, along with what seemed like spikes protruding out of the top of it. If Masaru didn't know better, he would've sworn that it was the lair of an incredibly wicked person. Emblazoned on the front of the mansion was the kanji for fire, indicating the land in which they live.

He made his way into the mansion, noting the ANBU that had been standing guard inside. None of them made a move to stop him, probably because they had been informed of his arrival. He made his way without stop to Tsunade's office… to find the older woman sleeping.

"_Damn it. I thought she would have gotten over that habit by now._" It was true. He remembered during their trek in his younger years, he often found her asleep at the desks in the rooms they stayed in. He unfortunately tried to wake her up one of those times, only to meet the end of Tsunade's fist.

"_Oh well. At least I got the perfect fix to this._" He pulled out of his bag a flute. It had a simple, sleek wooden design, ran about the length of his forearm, and had been polished to perfection. It seemed to radiate a peculiar aura of tranquility, to go along with the music it could produce.

He remembered when he had made this, which he had named the Kazechinsei flute, back when he had been traveling with Tsunade and Shizune. In one of the forests that had made up the forest country, they came across a very peculiar tree, one that seemed different from the others. Not in that it was any bigger, but kind of like a pine tree in a forest of maple trees.

One thing that he noted that when he was near the tree was that as the wind rustled through the leaves, they seemed to emit a very calm music. A kind of calming song that would soothe the minds of any who listened to it, like feeling a very calm breeze against the landscape. He and the others had been entranced by the music for several hours when he noticed something.

A branch had broken off the tree, probably from a stray bolt of lightning. It looked like it the wood was very durable, and the leaves on the branch were still fresh.

He had an idea. The leaves on the tree could produce music, and with a way to control how wind reaches them, he could play the song anytime.

It had taken him many hours of work, but he managed to construct a flute from the tree branch and the leaves. Carving the design had been easy, but the difficult part was setting the use of the leaves so they would play different notes. When he had tried it out, it turned out better than he thought it would. Both Tsunade and Shizune loved to hear him play his flute. Also, another thing that it did was wake those sleeping nearby just so they could listen in. Even the sleeping blonde woman right in front of him.

He began to play the flute. It had let out a soothing tune, not unlike the tune he had heard that day in the woods. And he could see the effect it was having on Tsunade. Her head began to unconsciously rise, a smile crossing her face as she looked at peace with the world around her. And slowly, but ever so surely, her eyelids began to lift as she was awaken by the melodious tune. The only thing she saw before her was Masaru playing the flute in front of her.

When he noticed that she was awake, he slowed down the song of the flute until it came to a complete stop. "Well, that's something I haven't heard in a long time. You've definitely gotten better playing that thing." Tsunade commented, with a small smile on her face.

"Well, I've had years of practice with it. Don't think I've spent the last six years honing just my shinobi skills. Besides, it a great way to put your own mind at ease." The flute holder said, before he took on a slightly more serious expression. "I believe you called me hear because you wanted to speak to me about something.

Tsunade then took on her persona as the Hokage, by plastering a similar expression to her own face. "Indeed I did, Masaru. There is much we need to discuss."

**Author's Note:** Well, Chapter 6 is out now. As it looks, I'll aim to get a new chapter out once a week. For those that may be curious about how Masaru is behaving towards Ino, his inherent dislike of her is having him act that way. As for why he dislikes her, that's my little secret. But it'll be revealed in time.

As always, reviews, comments and criticisms are all appreciated.


	7. Meeting With The Hokage

Chapter 7- Meeting With The Hokage

"Now Masaru. I want to know. I already know that you are an experienced shinobi, even though you hold no affiliation with any village. Yet, judging from the records I had reviewed of your injuries, I could easily tell that they could not have come from anywhere other from another shinobi. You know I don't intend to pry into your life, but as the Hokage, I must be ever aware of any dangers that could threaten the village in any way. So, I'm asking you, who was it that attacked you, and what was their intentions." Tsunade said in an authoritative tone.

Masaru flinched slightly at the tone in her voice. In the time he had known her, he hadn't known her to be this serious about anything before, except perhaps gambling and sake. He had assumed she would like to reminisce about old times, but with the way she had spoken to him, it just simply wasn't the case. "_She's changed a lot. I can tell. I wonder what had happened to make her change this much? Maybe I should…_" He immediately shook his head at the thought. "_No. She's a good friend. Just as she won't pry into my life, I won't pry into hers. Though I'll have to ask her about it later._"

"Well?" Tsunade blurted out, a little irritated with the teen's internal monologue.

Masaru snapped out of his thoughts when he realized he hadn't answered her question.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama." He said, feeling the need to be formal on this occasion. "You are correct about your suspicions in that I had been attacked by other shinobi. However, as far as I know it, I'm certain that they wouldn't pose any threat to the village."

Tsunade nodded at his affirmation. "I understand, however if you know who your assailants are, I would appreciate it if you told me."

"I had been assaulted by a group of three ninja, all of which hail from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Among them were two chunin whose identities I have not discerned. Their leader, however, is the jonin by the name of Shinosuke Hakujou." Masaru said, remembering that horrid beast.

Tsunade's eyes grew large at this revelation. "Are you sure it was him? He's known as the Mist Village's top jonin, as well as one of the most ruthless ninjas known. The only person I could think of that could be even more heartless than him would be that snake-loving bastard."

Masaru didn't exactly like this new tidbit of information. While he never actually met Orochimaru, he had heard the stories about him, and all the things he has done.

"I'm positive Hokage-sama. His description matches up with the stories I heard in my travels. Besides, he's the only known Mist jonin that actually wields a metallic pole to such a degree that he could effectively kill with it. I'm positive it was him." He said sternly.

"But why would he attack you? Even considering his reputation, he never attacks without reason." She said, remembering the profile. Of course, Shinosuke hasn't been known to attack without some reason laced behind. However, something as little as pissing him off warranted a reason in his book, so that little technicality allows him to attack just about anyone, if he wanted to.

"Part of it is my fault, part of it is their fault. Do you remember the stories of the large scale bandit raids in the countries just south of the Fire Country?" Tsunade nodded, having read the reports of the incidents. "Well, few people actually know the full details of the events, but from what I could gather, the Feudal Lord of the Water Country, and the Mizukage of the Mist Village have had the desire of expanding their territory into the mainland for quite some time."

"However, they couldn't act directly, because doing so draw the attention of the other major nations, who would retaliate full force, and inevitably crush them. So they were waiting for an opportune moment to make a move when reports of the first bandit raid had surfaced. To them, it was the perfect opportunity to carry out their plan, yet still keep their true intentions a secret."

"It was actually a very simple task on their part. They simply had to slip several of their own shinobi among the ranks of the bandits. From there, they could convince them to go after bigger and better prizes. Eventually, they would reach a point where they could assassinate the Feudal Lord and seize control of the country. Those shinobi placed in the ranks would then be declared the leaders, and would act under the rule of the Mizukage. A simple, yet elaborate plan to expand their land, without arousing any unwarranted suspicion." Masaru explained.

Tsunade paused for a moment as she processed this information. "You do have a point. The Mist has had pretty quiet activity going on as of late, which is quite peculiar since activity from them is usually very noticeable. I'll dispatch some ANBUs to some of the areas you mentioned for verify what you have said. Though it doesn't explain Shinosuke's motives."

"I'm getting to that. Around the time of those bandit raids, I had been near the area. I had once been taken care of by an elderly couple who lived in the town where the first raid appeared, so I felt obligated to return the favor, and assist them in riding them of the bandits."

"It wasn't too long before the bandits had shown up again, but I was ready to defeat them however necessary. It was a long battle, but I hadn't managed to beat all of them. However, I had found that some shinobi had been among the ranks. I 'interrogated' one of them, and learned of their mission from the Mizukage. I killed the shinobi I captured on the spot. After that I helped quell the other raids, but some ninjas had escaped the conflict. Not long after that, I was being chased by Shinosuke." Masaru said.

"I guess it's safe to assume that the survivors reported of the failure to the Mizukage, and sent Shinosuke after you, but you managed to elude him" The young man simply nodded.

"Yes, I had managed to elude him for several months, but I had gotten careless recently, and had foolishly gotten injured. I managed to make my way here, by throwing them off my tail with a phony path, and you know the rest." Masaru finished.

"Hmm, I guess it would explain why Shinosuke hasn't come here into the village to get you. Leaf and Mist aren't exactly on the friendliest of terms at this time, and Shinosuke was aware of this. If he had acted directly in trying to attack you as you stayed here, he undoubtedly would've initiated a war between the two nations. And since we have an alliance with Sand, while they don't have an alliance, it would be a war they would no doubt lose." Tsunade contemplated.

"Yes. Not a very interesting prospect for them. No doubt Shinosuke is waiting until I have recovered from my injuries and left this place before they decide to come after me again. As you said, they won't come here without possibly inciting war."

Tsunade thought about this little predicament. Masaru wasn't exactly in perfect condition yet; he just got checked out of the hospital. If he had left, he would undoubtedly be killed the first chance Mist got. Also, the village isn't exactly to welcoming to outsiders, so receptions for him wouldn't exactly be all that friendly, even if he was her friend.

She thought back to the time she had known Masaru. He wasn't exactly the talkative type, but he did loosen up over time as they traveled together, to the point where they were at least able to hold a conversation with him for several minutes.

She thoughtfully looked at the young man in front of her. He had definitely changed for the better, and yet they were still friends; she wanted to do everything in her power to protect him.

A light bulb went off in the elder woman's mind. It was actually the perfect plan. It would make acceptance from the village easier, it would grant him protection from his enemies, and perhaps he could find what he hasn't had in a long time; a place to call home. However, the only potential problem that could exist in this plan is whether or not he would agree to it.

"Masaru." The aforementioned boy raised his head to face her. "I took in to careful consideration what you have told me, and thought of a potential solution to this problem. I recognize your skill as a ninja, both as a friend and as the Hokage. Therefore, I would extend to you, Masaru Kokaku, a commission to work for me as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village."

**Author's note:** This chapter may not seem all that exciting since it is just the meeting, but it was something I needed to get out of the way. It helps to set some of the plans I have for the future, and to give a little more clarity to the brief explanations given in the first chapter.

As always, your reviews are appreciated.


	8. Stories Over Ramen

Chapter 8- Stories Over Ramen

Masaru was shocked at what the woman in front of him had asked. She had just offered him a position as a shinobi for the village. Part of him was kind of excited that he had been given such an offer, yet the other part of him was still unsure if he should tie himself down to the village.

"Masaru-kun. I know you. You're a really talented ninja. Yet you also have a strong sense of honor in what you do, possess a strong spirit that is not easily broken, and you protect what is close to you. I wouldn't just make this decision blindly. I know you wouldn't betray the village if you stayed. So how about it? Will you stay or not?" Tsunade said, with a gentle look on her face.

"I'm not entirely sure yet, Tsunade-chan. I'm still pretty divided on the idea." The younger one said.

The blond Hokage merely nodded at the response. "Then take all the time that you need to sort out your feelings. Why don't you go with Naruto on that tour of the village you promised him?

Masaru looked at her inquisitively. Tsunade answered the question running through his head. "I'm the Hokage. I got to know the things going on in my village." She said, with a smile on her face.

A small chuckle escaped his mouth at her somewhat childish response, and turned towards the door. "I'll do that, Tsunade-chan. Don't drink too much sake, ya hear? I don't think people would like a repeat of that one incident at the casino. Well, maybe Jiraiya would've." He got out before she could do anything to him for bringing that up.

Tsunade was a little peeved he brought that moment up. She remembered only bits and pieces of the incident. She had WAY too much sake, and began acting in ways that were inappropriate. She remembered Shizune told her that she had temporarily lost control of her transformation so the people present had a very bad mental image that would be forever burned into their brains.

Just then, another thought crossed her mind. "_Some of the villagers still resent Naruto. I wonder how he'll react to that._"

In the best-case scenario, he won't take it well at all.

* * *

At that moment, a certain blond haired boy sneezed. "_Someone must be talking about me._" He thought. Though he didn't want to consider the possibilities of who it could be, since he was caught up in one of the hardest tasks he could possibly do: waiting.

He was been waiting at the hospital for Masaru for the past thirty minutes, and he was getting pretty impatient. He had spent the past hour at the training ground training, before leaving to get a small treat at Ichiraku. He didn't want to eat so much since Masaru would treat him later, and Teuchi understood him perfectly, though he secretly felt sorry for the young lad. Well, almost anyway.

"Hey there." A voice said from behind. Naruto nearly jumped ten feet in the air from the shock. He turned around to see a grinning Masaru. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Naruto angrily said.

"Sorry. Couldn't resist. Besides, you're a ninja, you should've been able to sense my presence." He replied somewhat sheepishly. "Anyway. Sorry if I kept you up waiting. The meeting was longer than I expected, and I still don't completely know my way around yet."

"I guess it's okay, since you're never really been around town before. Though don't start acting like Kakashi-sensei." He said sternly.

"You mean Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja?" Masaru asked inquisitively.

"Yeah. Why? Do you know him, too?" He asked curiously.

"No. Can't say I have. I only know the stories I've been told of the man during my travels. I'd very much like to meet him sometime." The older boy said with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Could you tell me about some of your travels?" The younger boy asked, hoping to know what he has seen.

"Sure, I'll tell you some stories when we get to Ichiraku." Masaru said, hoping that the idea of stories might interest Naruto more than the food.

"Alright. Race ya." Naruto speedily said, before running down the street.

"_That boy. He may be an idiot, but he sure does grow on you._" He thought before going after Naruto at a more reasonable pace, though made sure to keep Naruto in his sights so he didn't lose him, ironically as it sounds since he's as visible in a crowd as a full moon is in the clear night sky.

* * *

Soon enough, the pair had arrived at Ichiraku, and ordered their meals. While they waited, Masaru had told Naruto of some of the things he has seen and done on his travels, including the time he took a stop over to the Wave Country.

"By the way Naruto, I happened to notice that the people had come to call the bridge the 'Great Naruto Bridge.' You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Masaru asked, curious to the answer.

"Yep, I know. I helped 'em out about three years ago on my first C-ranked mission, which ended up being an A-ranked one in the end." Naruto said, noticing that the food had arrived.

"What do you mean A-ranked?" Masaru said, now wanting to hear more of the story, but also making a point to eat the ramen in front of him.

"On the mission, we had been attacked by a missing nin named Zabuza Momochi from the Mist Village, as well as his young protégée Haku. It was through them that I learned what a shinobi's life is really like." Naruto said, with a gloomy look on his face, remembering the young water manipulator.

The other boy, all the while, noted the gloomy look on his face. "Naruto, you already realize that being a shinobi isn't easy. Death is bound to occur as you grow, sometimes even by your own hands. You'll have to be able to accept it when the time comes. Otherwise, you just get yourself killed.

Masaru thought to try and lift the mood that had befallen the two of them. "You know, Naruto. You were right, definitely some of the best ramen I've ever had."

His plan did the trick. "I told you. Too bad we weren't betting, or I would've won." Naruto said smiling.

"You certainly would've. Why don't you tell me some of the things you've done as a shinobi. After all, no ninja's life is ever boring." Masaru said, smiling himself.

Naruto was then telling him of some of the stories of things that he has done and accomplished, but was very careful in leaving out certain specific details about Orochimaru, Sasuke, and the Akatsuki. Masaru did suspect there was more to his tales that he was letting on, but he didn't push it any farther, feeling that the answers would come up eventually.

"So you completed the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan in only a month?" Masaru asked, after hearing about his first journey with Jiraiya.

Naruto nodded, affirming the truth. "Yeah, though it took me a shadow clone to actually complete that step, and would be more time before I could do it one-handed. Still it was enough for me to win baa-chan's necklace." With that, Naruto showed him the necklace that was around his neck.

Masaru was surprised that Tsunade had put that up in a bet and lost it. Well, not so much the losing the bet part, but that she put up the necklace for it. "_There's a lot more to this boy than meets the eye, if she was willing to go to such extremes._"

After that, they both had finished the meal. Luckily, Masaru's idea worked like a charm. He only paid for about eight bowls of ramen, instead of the 20+ he would have if he didn't distract Naruto with the stories.

"Come on, Masaru-san. Let me show you around the village now." Naruto shouted overeagerly.

"Just wait at the end of the street for me, okay Naruto? I've got some 'business' to take care of." Masaru said.

"Ok. Just don't take too long." Naruto said, dashing off.

Masaru, on the hand had more important things to deal with.

To find out who was watching them.

* * *

Behind a tree near Ichiraku, was a young woman. She wore a light indigo jacket, dork blue pants, and had similarly colored hair to top it off. The most defining feature about her, though, was her eyes, which were a light indigo shade, but they held no pupils. This woman was young Hinata Hyuga.

She had done the one thing she had done ever since her childhood; to watch Naruto from the shadows. She has long admired him, ever since she was a child, and since then that admiration had turned into full-blown love. She watched him in this way because she could never find the courage to just tell him how she felt. For now, she was content with watching him like this.

Though, she had been curious about the person that he had been eating ramen with. She hadn't seen him around the village ever, and Naruto was telling him stories of his accomplishments. Oh, how she had longed to be the one right next to him, but she felt that would never be.

She stepped out from behind the tree when the two had left, and was about to continue following. "Naruto-kun." She simply sighed out.

"You know. I believe it isn't nice to be watching people the way you just were." Hinata gasped, and turned around. Up on another nearby tree was the person she had been just watching! She felt silly she had been caught that easily, but he didn't exactly look friendly.

"I believe what you did would constitute stalking. Do you have anything to say for yourself." The stranger said, looking seemingly irritated.

Just at that moment, Hinata noticed a change in his eyes, or more specifically, his pupils. Where they were once whole, they were no longer. It looked as though a hole had opened up in the center, revealing to her that underneath was the same blue color as his eyes.

Hinata stood there, shivering slightly under his gaze, yet she couldn't look away. It was as if their eyes were locked together. All she could think about was hoping Naruto-kun would protect her.

After what felt like forever, the ring that had become his eyes had vanished, and the look on his face vanished, replaced what looked like a smirk.

"I see. You like him, don't you?" Hinata blushed, and turned her head away, embarrassed that he figured that out.

"I see. I'm not gonna scold you for stalking, though I'd prefer it if you didn't do that again. If you did, I'd have to drag you out and have you join us." Hinata turned beet red upon hearing that. Masaru internally chuckled. It was so easy to have fun with people.

"What's your name by the way?" Hinata got snapped out of her own little dream world when he asked that. "H-Hinata H-Hyuga." She stuttered, still not entirely used to the boy in front of her.

"Name's Masaru. Anyway, I gotta go catch up with Naruto, otherwise he'll wonder where I went off to. But I'll leave you with a piece of advice. You'd better try to get to know him better soon. Then you could perhaps tell him how you feel. But if you wait too long, then someone else would get to him first. Don't let him slip away." With that Masaru left, leaving Hinata to contemplate what he just said.

**Author's Note:** Hope you all liked the chapter. It was somewhat difficult for me to get Hinata down right in this story, since I'm not entirely used to writing development of a character into a relationship, though I tend to have actual NaruHina moments in later chapters. I'd like to know what you all thought of how I handled my work.

As always, reviews are always appreciated.


	9. A Tour Of The Village

Chapter 9- A Tour Of The Village

Masaru's encounter with the Hyuga girl was just… weird. He couldn't really describe it any other way. "_She must really have it bad for Naruto. I couldn't think of any other reason why she would blush THAT much at the mention of his name._" He thought to himself, as he made his way towards where he told Naruto to wait.

As he was nearing the end of the street, he noticed he was talking with another person there. He was clad in mostly white robes, to compliment his pale white skin, along with what he could only describe as a skirt. Atop his head was long black hair, though even with these features, he could tell it was a guy he was looking at. He also noticed the person had the same pupil-less eyes as the girl he met a moment ago.

He couldn't really tell what they were talking about so he decided to just go up to them. "Hey, Naruto." He said somewhat loudly, but not screaming loud.

Both figures turned their attention to the figure coming down the street. Naruto was just smiling as always, while the other clearly had a questioning look on his face. It was no surprise, really. He undoubtedly hadn't seen Masaru before today.

"Oi, Masaru. What took you so long? I've been waiting forever." Naruto said, somewhat grumpily. Masaru simply chuckled at this.

"Sorry, it took a little longer than I thought. Anyway, mind introducing me to your friend?" He said as looked on at the person in front of him.

"No problem, this is Neji Hyuga, a friend of mine." Naruto blurted overexcitedly.

"Hello, Neji. I'm-" Masaru said but was cut short.

"Masaru. I heard your name just a moment ago, so there wasn't any need for you to repeat it." Neji simply stated.

The two of them locked eyes for a good long moment. Though no words were being verbally spoken, there was no need. They could each tell that the other was a hardened warrior, with many years of experience backing them. All this just by looking in their eyes.

After this, Neji had turned his attention towards the blond boy near them, looking on at them, confused like he usually is. "Anyway, Naruto, as much as I would like to catch up any further, I have other things to concern myself with. Though, have you perchance seen Hinata-sama? Her presence is required at home for training with Hiashi-sama." Neji said, still carrying that monotone voice.

Surprisingly to Neji, Masaru was the one who interjected. "Actually Neji, I met the girl you speak of down by that grove of trees not far down the road. I'm not sure if she is still there, but she might not be too far away."

Neji simply nodded in affirmation of what he had told him. "Thank you for your assistance, Masaru-san. Take care. You too, Naruto." With that, Neji took off just like all ninjas do, by leaping up into the air. After Neji left, Masaru relaxed. "_Man that guy is strict. Hard to believe those two are related._" He simply thought.

"Well, we should get going. There's a lot to see Masaru." Naruto said, excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Lead the way." And with that they were off.

* * *

"That over there is the Hyuga complex. Both Neji and Hinata live there." Naruto stated, while looking on at the size of the estate before him. The simple size of their home made it look as though you could house a small army there, and still have plenty of room left over. It was just that huge.

Part of him would've liked to continue staring, though he knew they should be on their way. However, he saw something curious not to far away.

It was another estate, similar to that of the Hyugas. However, where theirs was prime and pristine, this one was dilapidated and in ruins, telling him that no one had lived there in years.

"Hey, Naruto. What's that place over there?" Masaru said, get the boy's attention, who then turned to where he was pointing. He simply shrugged and put his hands behind his head.

"I'm not really sure what place that is. I've never seen anyone move into that place for as long as I've known, and it looks kinda creepy, so no one really goes in it anyway." Naruto said, getting small shivers from looking at the place.

"What? Scared of ghosts?" Masaru teased.

"N-No. Nothing like that. But no one really approaches it, so no one knows what it is." Naruto blurted out, trying to act confident after Masaru's accusation, which was actually accurate.

"Hmm, ok. I guess he should continue on our way." Masaru said, secretly making it a point to visit that place sometime when he got the chance.

* * *

Ino Yamanaka was having, in her opinion, a very good day. That boy Masaru that she had to look over had checked out of the hospital today. It was enough to put her into a good mood. It had been a real pain to deal with that particular patient.

She thought back on to the times she had to put up with him. It was almost as though he was going out of his way to give her a tough time, even though she was his nurse.

"Gahh! Why is he so irritating? Just thinking about him is pissing me off!" She nearly shouted, before shutting up again, reminding herself she was in a hospital. Luckily, no one was in the immediate vicinity.

Once she calmed herself down, she reminded herself that she had more important things she had to worry about than one particular person.

Though, a deep feeling in her gut told her she would be seeing him again at some point.

* * *

At this point in time, a certain brown haired boy sneezed. "_Someone must be talking about me._" He thought to himself while Naruto had shown him around. They have already seen at this point many different places such as the Aburame, Inuzuka, and Akimichi homes, as well as the Hokage monument, the training fields, and other points of interest.

But Masaru didn't seem to show too much interest in the sites. His thoughts were divided twofold.

One part of his thoughts were dwelling back towards Tsunade's offer. He weighed the pros and cons of potentially being a shinobi of the Leaf. On one side, he would have a home, potential new allies, and as far as he could tell, even better friends. He was also aware that doing this would grant him protection from Shinosuke and his cronies. He knows Tsunade's method of thinking, and could deduce this as one of the reasons. On the other side of the proverbial coin, were reasons against joining. Being a loner by nature, he really couldn't get a good hang of teamwork, which tends to be essential in a shinobi's life. He also wasn't too sure how the villager's would react to him being a ninja. Tsunade had previously told him the villagers don't take kindly to foreigners, and to them this might feel like an insult to who they were.

"_Hmm, both sides have pretty good arguments. Oh well, I still have time. I'll think more on this later._" He thought to himself, before concentrating on the other thing plaguing his thoughts.

It was the people around him that bothered him. Sure, he knew that they would glare at an obvious foreigner, but what surprised him was that some of the glare were actually directed at Naruto rather than him. This struck several nerves in him. Despite being an outsider, he hated more than anything else when people are treated as such. It makes them feel less than human. He probably would've reacted violently to such treatment, but given ANBU agents constantly patrolled the city, and himself not being in peak fighting form, he decided against that action and thought this through.

"_It's odd. Why would they do that? As far as I can tell, he hasn't done anything to warrant hatred of that level. There must be more to this than meets the eye._" Masaru carefully observed the people around, trying to find out clues. He noticed that the adults for the most part held that look in their eyes, though there were some here and there that didn't do it.

He couldn't find any real clues until he noticed that none of the children looked at him with hatred, though he noted that there parents had quickly pulled them away when Naruto came near. This little action told him a lot. "_It's something that the adults know, but it's kept from the children. Yet they don't come out and say anything that gives solid info. That means… this reeks of a cover-up._"

A cover-up. That's what Masaru concluded was going on here. And if he knew anything about cover-ups, it meant the government was involved as well. "_Tsunade. I bet you know something of this._" However, even despite his raging thoughts, he kept a calm exterior. A meeting with Tsunade would resolve this. After all, they both knew that the truth couldn't be kept from him for long.

He kept himself calm until Naruto had finished up the tour. "Well, that would essentially be the whole village, Masaru." Naruto said, completely oblivious to the thoughts that could be going through the older boy's mind.

"Thank you, Naruto. I have to go speak with Tsunade. I realized that I haven't fully recovered yet, but will need a place to stay while I'm here. Just seeing if perhaps she can get me a place to stay." He said politely.

"Ok. I'll go do some training. Maybe I'll see you around." Naruto said, before running off. Masaru likewise did the same, though made his way to the Hokage's office.

* * *

Tsunade was dealing with her worst enemy at the moment: paperwork. Normally, she would be able to get several naps in during the day, but Shizune had been pressing her to complete the work before doing anything else.

"_Being Hokage's a bitch. Why did I ever take this job?_" She thought to herself before hearing a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal her friend of long ago. Normally, she would've given him a very friendly greeting, since this wasn't officially planned, however one look into his eyes told her that this wasn't the time for pleasantries. Judging from the way he had been glaring, what she had feared happened, though she was sure he didn't know what the specifics. That look clearly old her "_I know you know something about what's going on._"

She simply sighed. "I already know why you're here Masaru. It's Naruto, right?"

"Yes, I saw the villagers looking at him with contempt. Took me a bit before I realized it was part of some sort of cover-up. But just what is that?" He said, not taking his eyes off her.

"You'd find out anyway, even if I didn't want to tell you, so no point in hiding it. Yes, it is sort of a cover-up. But more so it is an S-class law of the village. I can only speak of this to you if you promise you never speak of it to anyone under penalty of death." Masaru simply nodded his consent to the matter at hand.

Tsunade acknowledged his consent with a nod of her own. "Alright then. Masaru, what do you know of the beast known as Kyuubi?" Masaru simply raised an eyebrow at this.

**Author's Note:** Well, there's chapter 9 of Insight. I did have thoughts of actually showing other areas in the village, but decided they would be pretty monotone, and not carry along the story at all. I felt it was more important to show Masaru's reaction to the villager's hatred more than anything at all.

As for some of you may be wondering, or if you already figured it out, what you saw at the end of the previous chapter was indeed Masaru's 'power' active. However, that was simply to act as a sneak preview of it. A formal introduction won't occur for several more chapters, so just hold on until then.

As always, reviews are appreciated. They motivate me to write more.


	10. Sweet Revenge

Chapter 10- Sweet Revenge

Masaru was shocked at the story he had just been told. The demon known as Kyuubi, the strongest creature in existence, who he had first heard was dead, is in fact alive, and sealed away inside of Naruto's stomach. It was a lot to take in, but considering what he had been told, the villagers' attitude towards him did hold a strong basis, though it was seriously unfounded.

From what he saw, he concluded that they saw Naruto as the beast itself, and not the container for the beast. Needless to say, he was infuriated at their reactions.

Things probably would've gotten worse if Tsunade didn't snap him from his thoughts… the easy way.

"Calm down, Masaru-kun. I know it's upsetting for you to see people treated this way, but there isn't really anything that can be done about it." She said, trying to calm the boy in front of her. "All that we can do is hope, and pray things work out in the end."

Masaru raised an eyebrow at this, indicating that she should continue. "Naruto, above all things, wants to be Hokage. Sure, he still has a long way to go, but he feels that becoming Hokage will get him the respect he wants."

Masaru simply shook his head at this. "That's why he wants the job. Respect? I honestly don't think he'd become Hokage that easily. He'd have to show that he can be a leader, make wise, rational decisions, and above all else, know how to handle the countless amounts of paperwork." He said letting out a small chuckle. Tsunade just groaned, knowing what he said was pretty accurate.

"By the way, Masaru-kun. Have you thought about my offer? Would you be willing to work for us?" Tsunade said, listening intently to what he had to say.

Masaru considered all that he had learned today, and reflected on his own arguments for and against joining the ninja ranks. Even considering this, however, he hadn't come to any clear-cut answer. But, he did happen to come up with a solution that would make the answer clear to him.

"I'm afraid I don't have a clear answer for you, Tsunade-chan. There are still many things I need to consider before giving an answer." Tsunade looked a little disappointed by his response. "However, I thought of something that might prove beneficial to both of us. Perhaps I could join the village as a temporary ninja. With this status, I can experience exactly what life here would be like here, and carry out missions just like any other ninja. If by chance that I don't like serving the village, then I could just up and leave without any problems from anyone. As I see it, it's a win-win situation for each of us. What do you think, Tsunade-chan?"

The blond Hokage went over his proposal carefully. It was a good idea. He gets to experience the life of a ninja for the village, and they get more manpower. After all, they still hadn't completely recovered from the invasion from three years ago. However, the idea following through would take a little bit of work, especially with the council. They don't tend to be fond of outsiders being temporary ninjas for the village. Those assigned could very well be spies for an enemy village, sent to learn the village's secrets. She would have to tread this carefully.

"It's a good idea, but I'll have to run it by the council. I'll do what I can to get that idea run through, ok" Masaru simply nodded. "Alright, I can guess the other reason you came here. Catch!" She said before throwing something at him.

Masaru caught it in his hand, and saw it was an envelope. Opening it, he saw a set of keys, along with directions, and address. He then looked up at Tsunade, who had a smile on her face. "You knew I would need housing should I decide to live here, so you went out of your way to get me a place, huh? Sneaky devil." He said before letting out a small chuckle. He was about to make his way out, but Tsunade stopped him with a bone-crushing hug.

"H-Help! C-Can't b-breathe!" He said before Tsunade let him go. "Sorry, been meaning to do that since I knew you were in the hospital, but hadn't had the chance till now." She replied sheepishly, before speaking a little more seriously.

"I know you are still recovering from your injuries, so it makes it easier to deal with the council. Whether or not they approve right away, you'll need to be taking a test. I can easily tell you'd be at least chunin, but I'm not sure of your current skill level, so one week from now at midday, you'll report to the 44th training field for a jonin examination for you. Until that day you'll be required to stay away from that location so you aren't given any unfair advantage." She said, amused by the expression on his face.

"Well, I suppose jonins never have it fair. What does the exam detail, by the way?" He said, hoping to at least some leeway.

He failed that. "Sorry, can't do that. A proctor at the time of the exam will cover the details for you. I'll see you later." She said, as he made his way out.

Masaru and Tsunade both groaned, both thinking the same thing, but for different reasons.

"_Man, what a drag._"

* * *

After Masaru had left the Hokage mansion, he began making his way to the place that Tsunade had gotten for him. The directions were simple enough to follow, mostly due to the fact that some of the locations that were shown to him by Naruto during the tour.

"_Well this looks easy enough. I should be there before too long._" He thought, at least looking forward to finally getting some rest, after his already long day.

First, he had gotten out of the hospital, which was good, since it had been incredibly boring, aside from messing with Ino. Then he meets up with Naruto on his way to see the Hokage, followed by his meeting where he's offered a position as a Leaf shinobi. Afterwards was a tour by Naruto, followed by ANOTHER meeting with the Hokage, and now he is looking for his what could be a temporary home.

He had been too caught up reflecting on his day to notice the person in front of him. He must not of been paying attention, either, because they crashed right into each.

"Geez, this just isn't my day." Masaru grumbled to himself, when he heard someone say to him, "Are you alright?"

Masaru looked up to see a person that would stand out in a crowd. He wore mostly black, and an attire like that of a ninja. However, he wore a black cloak over his clothes, with a high collar to cover his mouth, and a forest green cloak over this cloak, with a hood over his head, making it hard to see him. From what he could tell, the person in front of him was wearing sunglasses, and had on a headband protector, indicating he was a ninja.

"Yeah, I'm doing alright. Nothing broken." Masaru said, wiping the dust off his coat. "I probably should be going."

"Yes, I too have to go. I have matters to attend to." The stranger said, before walking off into the crowd. Masaru simply shrugged the guy off, and went on his way.

Before too long, Masaru had been passing one of the local training areas, where he heard what sounded like Naruto. "_Boy, he really does o all out in his training. Better go before he knows I'm nearby._"

He was about to leave, when he saw a shade of indigo. He had his suspicions, and they were right on the dot as he saw Hinata watching Naruto train. He chuckled lightly to himself at how even though Naruto was a shinobi, that he couldn't sense the shy girl's presence at all. Either she was incredibly good, or he was incredibly dense.

"_Probably the latter._" He thought when an idea came into his head. If she would come out in a scenario like this, she might if she thought something was wrong. That would make things interesting to watch. Plus, in Masaru's mind, this was revenge on Naruto for giving him such a headache.

He quickly got into a nearby tree, being careful not to be detected by either individual he was spying on. Flashing through a couple quick hand signs, he got to work.

"Ninja Art: Image Vanish Jutsu."

* * *

It was simply a normal day for Hinata Hyuga. Well, mostly normal. Her schedule had consisted of waking up, going through her morning ritual, meet with her teammates for training, lunch, watch Naruto, training at home, more watching Naruto, dinner, relaxation period, then bed. That's how it usually is.

The only difference today was the stranger she met earlier named Masaru. She was kind of intimidated by him, but he was fine with her, as long as she didn't stalk when he was around. Though he wasn't around now.

She continued watching the man she admired, practicing the Odama Rasengan, hoping he could master it without the need of a shadow clone. She had seen him practicing what looked to be a Rasengan surrounded by a shuriken a couple of times before, though she noted that it was incredibly unstable. She theorized that he was working on this to help with the stability problem of the other technique.

Just after another failed attempt at getting it right, Naruto had vanished from her sight completely. It wasn't like him to just vanish like that. Something must be wrong with him!

Immediately, she left from her hiding place, and went to investigate to see if there was any way to track him, only to bump into a very hard, yet invisible object. She looked up at what she hit, and immediately blushed. There was Naruto, with a confused look on his face.

"Hinata? What are you doing here?" He asked, completely oblivious to the blush on her face. She immediately turned her head away, blushing even more that he was talking to her, while trying to come up with an excuse for what she did.

"N-Naruto-kun, um, I-I-I heard an e-explosion from a-around here, a-and w-w-was wondering what happened. I'm s-sorry." She stuttered out.

"You okay, Hinata? Your face looks really red. Do you have a fever or something?" Naruto asked, putting his hand on her forehead. This little act of friendship only served to make her blush even more.

"_He's touching me!_" Hinata thought before her thoughts overwhelmed her, and she passed out.

"Hinata? HINATA!" Yelled Naruto, trying to do what he could to wake her up. It didn't seem to be doing much good. He decided to watch her until she got better.

* * *

"_Whoops, looks like I went a little overboard. Didn't think she'd faint like that._" Masaru thought from his little lookout post. He chuckled at how easy his plan was pulled off. A little genjutsu is all it took to get her to be noticed by him. He was hoping to play with them some more, but it didn't look like that'd be happening.

"_Well, I guess I'd best be on my way._" He thought before making his way towards his home.

* * *

Unknown to any of the three, a pair of ANBU were humorously watching the scene unfold before them, especially since they don't see that kind of entertainment too often.

They had been secretly sent to watch over the boy named Masaru, they were told, by the village council. A meeting with the Hokage had brought him to their attention. She had requested a temporary ninja status for the young man, something out of character for the elder woman. Naturally, the council was opposed to the arrangement, but with a little bit of effort, she got them to agree, albeit reluctantly, and only on the condition that he have a pair of ANBU agents watch him at all times, to assess whether or not he would be a threat to the village. And here they were.

Since they had been assigned to the task, they watched him carefully for anything suspicious, but had found nothing. Then he spied on the two teenagers, and flashed through some hand signs.

One ANBU, who was less experienced than the other was about to take the initiative, but was stopped by his comrade, indicating they should see what would happened. As it turned out, it was just a harmless prank.

They liked seeing the Hyuga heiress faint like that in front of the Kyubi container, but they were sure her father would not approve of such behavior if he ever found out.

They would've liked to stay and watch some more, but they had a job to do. And so, they followed after the young trickster.

* * *

Masaru found his new place with relative ease. It was nothing fancy, just a simple four-room apartment. Upon entering, he noticed the small living area, where there was a couch lined up on one wall, and a TV on the other. Exploring further, he found a small kitchen, with an oven with a stove topping it, a microwave, and a small fridge. He examined the cabinets and found that they were stocked with about two weeks worth of foods. He smiled. Some of the foods in there were his favorites.

"_Looks like she hadn't forgotten._" He thought, before moving on. Next he found was the bathroom. Nothing to fancy here, just a shower, sink, toilet, and basic hygiene equipment. Lastly, he explored the last room, which was of course the bedroom. He noted the closet where he could hang clothes, as well as the dresser, too. But he doubted he'd need them much; He only had 2 extra sets of clothes stored away in scrolls. He then took a look at the bed. It looked to be queen-size, and incredibly comfy. After realizing exactly how tired he was, he took off his coat and sandals, got under the covers and fell asleep, wondering what would be in store for him next.

**Author's Note:** Well, this chapter came out sooner than it normally would've. However, since it is Easter, I decided to get the next chapter ready as gift to all my readers. I hope you all enjoy.

I made it a point that if I use a completely new jutsu during a chapter, I'll post it here in this section with a complete description. **This will also act as a disclaimer**. The jutsus that are created here are mine, and other authors will need my permission to use them in their stories, as well as to give me credit for those jutsus.

New Jutsus:

Image Vanish Jutsu: A basic genjutsu technique that is taught to Academy students, in order to measure exactly how good the students are at genjutsu. It works by simply affecting the victim's sense of sight, and make some they are keeping their focus on vanish in front of their eyes. It works to make a quick deception against the opponent, and if the target isn't aware a genjutsu was cast, they will easily be caught in it. The amount of charka necessary to utilize this jutsu is minimal, but it varies based on your distance to the victim. D-Rank

Until next time.


	11. The Exam Begins

Chapter 11- The Exam Begins

The following week had gone pretty slow and not too eventful for Masaru. Normally, he would've gone out and had spent some time training, in order to prepare himself for the upcoming test he would be required to take. However, since he had been pretty much barred from such things by Tsunade, he really couldn't do too much about it anyway. Well, at least not to the naked eye at least.

As he was making his way to the designated spot for the test, he remembered earlier in the week when he came upon whom he thought were without a doubt the weirdest people he had ever met. But they ended up proving to be very beneficial to him in the end.

_(Flashback)_

_It has been three days since Masaru had met with Tsunade, and he wasn't too happy with his predicament. His medical notice had told him it would be a week before he was allowed to do any real training, but with the test looming at around that same time, he felt as though he wouldn't do as well as he could. His body wasn't in its top physical conditioning like it would be if he had been able to train, so he would be at an immediate disadvantage. The only things he could really do was walking and light running, not exactly ideal training for any shinobi. But seeing no other option, he decided on that, and it was precisely what he was doing at this moment._

_He was making his way through the village training grounds at a brisk pace. He didn't exactly feel too comfortable in the main sectors of the village for his training, since he could accidentally cause a ruckus with some villagers. That, and the forests of the village actually were pretty a relaxing change of scenery. It was pretty… serene._

_But the feeling died quickly when he heard the sound of seemed to be an object pounding against something wooden, coupled with a voice saying, "4974, 4975, 4976…"_

_Curious as to what was going on, he quickly examined the scene before him. What he saw was two men, both obviously shinobi with the headbands on their waists. Even more surprising was the fact that they looked virtually like carbon copies of one another. They had both been wearing a green spandex suit, over which were vests signifying that they were chunin or jonin. Traditional shinobi sandals adorned their feet, and just around their ankles were a pair of leg warmers. Looking at their faces, he saw that both of their hairs were cut in a bowl-like fashion. The only differences he could discern from the two of them were the obvious change in height, and one's eyes were rounded and ones were square. The biggest surprise on them, however, was what was above their eyes, were the biggest eyebrows Masaru had ever seen. He almost thought those "things" were alive._

_"5000! I did it Gai-sensei! I did it! I did 5000 roundhouse kicks! That's the most I've ever done." The younger one said, jumping up and down excitedly. Masaru's eyebrow twitched slightly at his enthusiasm._

_"YOSH, LEE! The Flames of Youth burn brightly in you! You should be proud in all that you have accomplished as a taijutsu master. You make me very proud." The one identified as Gai had said, with a waterfall of tears streaming from his eyes, as he hugged his student, and saw a sunset with waves crashing on a rocky shore behind them._

_"What the hell?" Masaru was stumped. The scene before him made no sense to him at all. He had just decided that he had seen enough when he heard one of them calling out._

_"You! You over there! What are you doing just walking away? Join us in the Springtime of Youth!" Gai had shouted. Seeing as how he had been asked a question, he really didn't have any choice but to answer._

_"Sorry. But I've got to lay off training. Tsunade-sama had ordered me not to train for a week, seeing as how I got out of the hospital only three days ago." Masaru said, referring to Tsunade formally since they could take offense to her being called anything else._

_He had hoped what he said would tell them he wanted to leave, but it didn't work. "Then at least stay and watch us train so that you might incorporate what we do into what you do so that you to can embrace your youth." Lee had said._

_Masaru didn't see anyway out of this predicament, so he decided he might as well see what training for some was like in the village. After the introductions they had with each other, the only non-weird person in the group sat down by a tree in a meditative position, watching on._

_One thing actually sparked Masaru's curiosity. "Lee. How come you are only training your taijutsu? Don't you also use ninjutsu or genjutsu at all?" Lee had stopped when he had heard his question._

_"Masaru-kun, I do not train in ninjutsu or genjutsu because I cannot." Seeing the boy's perplexed face, he continued. "I am completely unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu in any way or form. But this has allowed me to focus solely on taijutsu, and become the man you see before you!"_

_Masaru suddenly felt some regret for the boy. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be unable to use either ninjutsu or genjutsu. He actually felt a small amount of respect for the young taijutsu warrior. "I see. I'm sorry, Lee-san. I hadn't realized you were in such a position._

_"No need to apologize. I understand you did not know. Now watch as I unleash the Springtime of Youth!" And with that, Lee resumed his training._

_The display of physical he saw Lee giving was pretty amazing. Just then, he remembered something from his past, and he smiled. Maybe he could get some training done after all._

_Flashing through a series of hand signs, finishing with the sign for bird, he said quietly, "Ninja Art: Reflex Surge Jutsu."_

_He remembered that his mother taught him this jutsu when he was younger when he had broken his leg in training. She told him it was a technique that could only be utilized in conditions where you were in a weakened condition. Essentially, the jutsu would connect himself with another person. Should that person undergo any strenuous activity, such as training, then the user of the jutsu would feel some of the strain that their target was using. In essence, they could get stronger without having to train._

_He had chosen Lee as the target for his jutsu, and he was feeling the effects of Lee's training hit him. The rush he was feeling was simply overpowering. He didn't think he could hold it up for too long._

_Luckily, Lee finished up about a half-hour after the jutsu was activated. Gai had noticed Masaru perform a jutsu during the training, and he explained to him exactly what they did. Needless to say, they were happy they joined him in the Springtime of Youth, and didn't seem too bother by what he did._

_(End Flashback)_

After that day, he went back a couple more times to "train" with them. It helped him out so much he felt as though he might pass the test after all. As he walked on he began to reflect on his opinions of the village, and his doubts.

"_This place is so peaceful. It's not something I'm used to. I'm always on the go. Always finding conflict. Is this kind of home right for me? Would I not be looked on as an outsider if I stayed?_" He asked himself as he watched the townsfolk around him look suspiciously.

He sighed to himself. For as long as he could remember, Masaru had always been an outsider, never exactly being a part of the crowd, even when he was a child. The other children tended to shy away from him, but he couldn't blame them. The power he had they all knew about, and probably feared him as a result.

"_Why was I born with this power? It seems that because of that alone, I had ended up growing up alone, away from the others. I guess in it's own way, I'm in a position that isn't much different from Naruto's. Except I had a mother, while he had no one._"

He turned his thoughts away from his past when he noticed that he had arrived. What he saw in front of him was kind of terrifying. The thick forest in front of him seemed to be among the foulest places on earth, he could hear the slithering of the bugs and other vermin that resided in the forest, and he wasn't even in it! The trees seemed to shoot up for miles before reaching the canopy. If he didn't know any better, he could swear that the forest was haunted.

He then noticed the small shack nestled up near the forest. It seemed as though to simply serve as a lookout guard post and nothing more. He noted the barbed wire fences rising at least twenty feet high encompassing the forest, undoubtedly to keep the animals in. After acknowledging these features, he then looked to see a familiar face.

"Neji Hyuga. Greetings again. I trust you are doing well." The Byakugan wielder nodded, not wanting to say more than he felt he needed to.

"Masaru, as you no doubt guessed, I have been asked by Hokage-sama to be the proctor for your exam." Neji said, keeping his stoic demeanor.

"Yeah. Seemed pretty easy to guess since you're the only person here." Masaru said, keeping a serious face ready for what ever might come. "I had been told you would explain to me what the exam would entail."

"Yes, the rules are simple. Behind me is the 44th training field, also known as the Forest of Death. Hidden within the forest are six seals, representing earth, water, light, wind, fire, and darkness. Each of these seals will be guarded by a jonin of the village. You will be expected to defeat them, and activate the seals. This table over here will keep track of your progress. And in all you will have a time limit of just three hours." Neji said, showing Masaru a circular stone table, engraved in the circle were the kanjis for each of the seals that Neji had mentioned.

"I take it there is more than just that." Masaru said, telling Neji he should go on.

"Yes. Ten minutes after you have entered the forest, ten squads of chunin will be entering the forest. They have all been ordered not to engage you in combat, and nor shall you engage them. They are there to locate you. You are to remain hidden from them. Should you be detected by them, you will lose points from your overall score. In all, you will have to avoid the chunins in the forest, defeat all the jonins, and activate the seals. I should have mentioned this earlier but you will not pass the exam if the seals are not all active."

"Anything else I should be aware of?" Masaru inquired, wondering how many rules there were for this thing.

"Yes. It is the means by which the score is decided. The longer you take in the forest affects your score. If you manage to complete the exam in less than an hour, you will get a 50 percent deduction from the points that are deducted for being detected. Should you make it in less than two hours, your score remains unchanged at the end. If it takes longer than that to finish, you will continually double the number of points form your deducted total. Hokage-sama has also informed me that you are not to know the cutoff point for whether you should pass or not."

"_Geez. She doesn't take it easy does she?_" Masaru thought to himself.

"You will begin the exam when the flare tag goes off." Neji said, lighting a tag set on the ground nearby.

A moment later, the flare tag fired up in the sky, letting off an explosion of light. Masaru couldn't dwell on it, and he made his way into the Forest of Death.

**Author's Note:** Sorry I didn't get this out sooner. I had the chapter ready to upload on Wednesday, but I didn't find a method for uploading it until today. Anyway I hope you like the chapter. I intend to cover some of Masaru's progress in the Forest next chapter, finishing with a very big battle in the following chapter.

**Poll**

Speaking of the plot, since Masaru has in essence joined the village already, I realized he would need to go on missions. I intend to send him out on one in a while but I've been left with a question unanswered: Who is accompanying him on the mission? Since I can't figure it out on my own, I'll let you, the reader's decide. Who will go with Masaru? You may pick any two people from the following list:

Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji, Tenten

My reason for not including Ino, Naruto, and Hinata is simple. I've got plans for all of them. Anyway, let me know who you want in, and the two most wanted characters will accompany him. This poll will remain open up until the the chapter where I announce the results.

**New Jutsus**

Reflex Surge Jutsu: A technique that is a cross between a ninjutsu and genjutsu. By creating an actual physical link to your opponent, you'll be able to feel the strain that they are putting their own body under in training. This jutsu is able to distinguish when a person is training and when they are in actual combat, and won't be triggered in combat scenarios. As you feel the strain they are going under, it will trick your body into building up your body's muscles, even though you aren't doing anything. Due to the circumstances involved in creating this jutsu, it only works in conditions when the user of the jutsu is unable to do any serious physical activity. A-Rank.

Until Next Time. _Eyes OF Truth_


	12. Ordeals In The Forest Of Death

Chapter 12- Ordeals In The Forest Of Death

Masaru was on edge. No, to be simply on edge would be putting it mildly. He was incredibly nervous as to what he had to do. He had to beat a good number of jonin level ninjas, avoid teams of chunin, and activate six seals around the forest. Normally, he wouldn't consider this to be such a big task. However, a time limit of three hours had been imposed for the duration of this test. This was something he wasn't exactly comfortable with.

Although he had the skills of a shinobi, he tended to take things much easier than most. Whenever he traveled from place to place, he preferred to take his time, and enjoy the scenery. A simple walk in the forest would suit him much more than a treacherous run through a desolate wasteland any day. He preferred to not be so high-strung about what he did.

Another thing that made the young man unique that despite being trained to kill, he actually tends to avoid confrontation more than anything else. He often saw no need to have to fight in situations where there were much better options presented to him. However, even if he didn't like to fight, didn't mean that he couldn't. He'd do what he'd have to pass this test. However, even though he would have to fight, he'd avoid having to kill if necessary.

This was another thing that bothered him. Neji had told him all the rules of the test, and made it pretty clear that there were to be no questions. However, he had not given him any clear directions as to use fatal force or not. It was probably expected that he should; however, to be expected to kill jonins of the village he is attempting to serve seems out of place.

"_Perhaps there's more to this test than actually meets the eye._" Masaru thought to himself, all the while keep his senses tuned for nearby chakra signatures. He caught nine nearby signatures, where one of them had been plenty higher than the others. He smiled. He had found his first target. Being careful to avoid detection by the two squads of chunin, he came across a clearing in the forest, though he something that seemed out of place.

Scattered about the clearing were several holes strewn about in random assortments. He had no clue as to what they were about, but he didn't exactly have time to dwell on it as he noticed a shadow zooming towards him.

Acting on instinct alone, Masaru jumped out of the way of the shadow, only to notice the shadow had entered into a nearby hole. He thought on this for a moment as to why it was there when he realized one simple reason for this: the holes were interconnected! Realizing the purpose of the holes in the ground, he quickly reached into his ninja pouch.

Rummaging about for a bit, he found what he was looking: a flash bomb, a simple delay tactic often used to blind opponents, but it did serve other purposes as well. "_Perfect. This will stop that shadow._" He threw it up high into the air waiting for it to explode. Unfortunately, he got caught by the shadow an instant after he threw up the bomb.

"Hmph. That seemed too easy. So you're Masaru, eh? Don't look like much." Shikaku Nara said, with a seemingly bored expression on his face, almost as though he would rather be elsewhere at the moment, doing absolutely nothing.

"So I take it your one of the jonin I have to fight?" Masaru said, not too intimidated by the fact that he had been caught. The lazy man simply nodded, while letting out a yawn. Since Shikaku had been using the Shadow Possession Jutsu, Masaru inadvertently copied the yawn, telling Masaru what he wanted to know about the jutsu.

"You be more on guard, I wouldn't be taking this test if Tsunade-sama hadn't thought I wasn't qualified to be here. Now brace yourself!" Shikaku thought it odd he would give him such a warning, but couldn't exactly think upon it as an extremely bright flash of light engulfed the clearing. Because his eyes had been exposed at the moment, he had no choice but to raise an arm to at least cover his eyes as best he could.

A moment later, the flash stopped, but Shikaku still had some spots in his eyes. It was because he had been in such a position that he failed to realize two things. One, the light had been intense enough that it dissolved Masaru's shadow, eliminating the link between the two ninja, and two, his opponent had capitalized on his momentary weakness and had gotten behind him with a kunai to his neck.

"Game over." Masaru calmly said to his opponent, who didn't seem to mind his predicament at all.

"Alright, you win. You activated the Seal of Darkness." Shikaku said, seeming somewhat different than before.

"Huh?" That was the only thought running through Masaru's mind at the moment.

"I didn't really want to take part as a examiner, but I had been asked to by Hokage-sama. Since you managed to defeat me, you activated the seal I was guarding. As for how it was activated, that's a secret. Anyway, I'd like to go. I have better things to do." With that, Shikaku had left in an instant.

The young man, however, was confused at how easy that was, but decided not to dwell on it, and decided to move on. He estimated he had been in the forest about 25 minutes so far, and couldn't waste his time, and began his search for the next seal.

* * *

Naruto was bored. It was as simple as that. It wasn't that he didn't have anything, but it was just that he didn't have anyone to do it with. He half-heartedly put himself into his training. 

He sighed. "_Everyone is just so busy today._" It was true. All of his friends had other matters to attend to so they couldn't train. Team 10 was off on a mission to a nearby village to deal with some bandits. He hadn't a clue where Neji and his team had gone off to. They tended to be just about anywhere these days. Sakura had been stuck working in the hospital, so she wouldn't have time to work with him. Shino was just to quiet and freaky, so he just wouldn't see the two of them training together. Kiba had been on a mission with his mother and sister, so he was out of the question.

His thoughts then drifted to Hinata. He hadn't seen her since that little incident about a week ago. After she had awoken from her faint spell, she had quickly apoligized and ran off, leaving a confused Naruto behind.

"_Why did she act like that? She seemed to be avoiding me for some reason. Does she just not like me at all? No, that couldn't be it. She's way to nice to me for her not to like me. And her eyes don't the hatred that all the villagers have._" He thought to himself, while going through an imaginary series of taijutsu moves that Jiraiya had taught him during his two and a half year trip.

His thoughts then drifted to her eyes. They were such a plain white, with a tint of lavender in it. Normally you would expect such eyes to be unseeing, yet he couldn't help but to stare into them. Like they held a vast pool of knowledge that seemed to pull everything into he. To him it looked kind of cute.

"_Cute? Gah! I'm not gonna start acting like Kakashi-sensei and Ero-Sannin!_" thought Naruto, making a note to pummel the two the next time he saw them.

He decided to distract his thoughts away from the pearl-eyed girl with his training, since nothing else seemed to work at the time.

* * *

Masaru had been doing pretty well for himself in his test. So far he had already acquired five of the seals and he was approaching the last seal at a quick pace. And up until this point, he was only used up one hour and twenty minutes of his time. 

He thought back on his previous encounters. After his battle with the shadow user, he had made his way off to one of the more peculiar jonin. It was a female, by her appearance, but her body had been so rugged that she could've passed off as a man without any problems at all. What surprised him though was the talking dog that had accompanied her. He knew that hiding wouldn't be too effective, but he was able to disable her with some fast attacks to some pressure points, activating the Seal of Earth.

His next opponent he hadn't been aware was nearby until she was practically on top of him. She had caught him in a very elaborate genjutsu that made it seem as though he had been trapped beneath the nearby river drowning, and it didn't seems as though he would get out of it, even though he was well aware he was in it. It took a lot of chakra for him to dispel the genjutsu from his opponent, but that was all that was really needed for him to activate the Seal of Water.

The next person he faced after that was a person he was acquainted with all too well: Gai. He already was aware that his opponent utilized taijutsu, having had watched him and Lee train several times already. Et, he also knew he was capable of utilizing some ninjutsu techniques, though nothing too fancy. This battle took several minutes longer than the other ones, and it had to take one well placed genjutsu from Masaru to slow down Gai enough to get him in a position where he would win, activating the Seal of Fire.

The most recent enemy he had faced gave off a feeling to him that was remarkably similar to the cloaked stranger that he met some time back. He noted that his opponent used a swarm of bugs, not something he really looked forward to facing. This was just one of those times he was happy that he knew some wind-based jutsus, since they were able to effectively keep the bugs from swarming him. After he had managed to get him and his opponent in a situation where they were both isolated with each other, the bug user had stated he had one, and with that activated the Seal of Wind.

His recollection of his past battles was cut short there when he heard a sound of shuriken slicing through the air. Spinning around, he had pulled a kunai from his pouch, and with quick and precise movements, was able to deflect each shuriken away from him. Then he looked and was surprised at who it was that attacked him.

"Shizune-chan?" Indeed, before him was the woman that had saved him that one day many years ago from a drunken Tsunade. However, she didn't exactly look to friendly at the moment.

"Hello, Masaru-kun. It's been so long since I've seen you. You've certainly grown." Shizune politely said, before taking on a look he had never seen on her face before, one indicating that she was ready to fight. "I'd love to catch up with you, but I'm here as your last opponent. If you want to pass this test, you'll have to get my me first."

Masaru nodded, sliding into a taijutsu stance. "I always had wanted to fight you anyway, Shizune-chan, but I never had the opportunity in the past. Looks like I finally get my chance." With that he prepared himself to fight one of his oldest friends.

**Author's Note:** Well hope you all liked the start of Masaru's trial in the Forest of Death. I didn't actually intend to do a play by play of each and every battle, since I not used to writing action scenes yet. Anyhow, I hope that you are all here for Chapter 13: Masaru's Power Revealed! However, you'll have to wait a few weeks before I have enough time to write the chapter. Finals are coming in the next few weeks, and my time will pretty much be taken up with studying, so I won't have the time to do this.

**Poll**

Speaking of the plot, since Masaru has in essence joined the village already, I realized he would need to go on missions. I intend to send him out on one in a while but I've been left with a question unanswered: Who is accompanying him on the mission? Since I can't figure it out on my own, I'll let you, the reader's decide. Who will go with Masaru? You may pick any two people from the following list:

Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji, Tenten

My reason for not including Ino, Naruto, and Hinata is simple. I've got plans for all of them. Anyway, let me know who you want in, and the two most wanted characters will accompany him. I think it also goes without saying that eac person can only submit one vote. This poll will remain open up until the the chapter where I announce the results.

Until Next Time. _Eyes Of Truth_


	13. Masaru's Power Revealed

Chapter 13- Masaru's Power Revealed

Shizune was not in the best of moods right now, despite the confident demeanor that she was letting off. Her bad mood didn't really stem from any anger problems, but rather the situation she was in. It has been several years since she had last seen Masaru, which was when he had left her and Tsunade to go on his private journey. Then, the next time she gets to see him, she's forced to fight him in order to pass a test for him to become a jonin.

This is something she really didn't want to so, especially since in some ways she considered the young man a brother. She thought back to when Tsunade told her what she needed to do.

(Flashback)

"_You wanted to see me Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked as she entered the Hokage's office, unaware of any tasks she would need to do. The fact that Tsunade had no paperwork to do near her desk on made her all the more curious._

"_Indeed I did Shizune. I have a very important task for you to do." Tsunade said, trying to keep a calm demeanor. She didn't want to have Shizune do this particular assignment, but considering all the other jonin were on missions, she didn't have any choice._

"_What is it you me to do, Tsunade-sama." Shizune inquired, noticing how tense Tsunade seemed to be._

"_I'm sure you remember young Masaru, our little traveling companion a few years back?" Tsunade responded, trying to keep a light atmosphere, considering the situation._

_Shizune was slightly taken aback by her sudden question. It didn't seem to fit in with the current situation. Unless…_

"_Yes. It's been a long time, since I've seen him, but I remember him well. He was the only person that really traveled with us after we left the village, even if it was only a few weeks." Shizune remembered, thinking back to the eleven year old boy that went from incredibly hell bent on revenge to a happy-go-lucky boy after one good hit from Tsunade._

"_Well, to let you know, Masaru is in town, and I've managed to talk him into taking a temporary ninja status for the village." Tsunade said, all the while gauging her assistant's reaction._

_The younger medic nin let out a small gasp. She hadn't expected Masaru to make any moves such as this, especially since he seemed so detached to any hidden villages. What could have happened that would cause such a change in him?_

_Of course Shizune hasn't really known that Masaru would be in town as of late. She had been on an A-ranked assignment for the past couple of weeks, so she wouldn't have known of anything occurring in the village during that time. Especially something as important as this._

"_As you are well aware, Shizune, his skills are at least chunin level, but before I can give him an actual rank, I have to put him through a test to see if he can potentially become a jonin." The Hokage stated, putting out a pamphlet out on her desk, letting out the unspoken word for Shizune to look._

_Shizune picked up the pamphlet, outlining the tasks that Masaru would have to undertake in order for him to qualify as a jonin. As she looked through what needed to be done, she frowned. These tasks would be difficult for any ninja, no matter how skilled they were, and Masaru was still pretty young. She didn't' think he would be able to handle these odds._

_Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, Tsunade dropped the bomb on her._

"_Shizune, you will need to be one of his opponents in the forest for his final." Shizune took this as a big surprise, since she didn't want to be the one to fight him._

_Tsunade noted the sad face on her former student, and continued. "I can tell you aren't really looking forward to fighting him, but I don't really have a choice. I've already chosen five other jonin to participate, and you are the only other one available that can do this."_

_Shizune simply nodded, and left the office without saying a word._

(End Flashback)

That was how it went down, and now she is in a position where she is expected to fight. She had didn't really want to do this, and by looking into her opponent's eyes, she could tell that he didn't want to do this either.

"Masaru-kun. I know we may be friends, but don't think that means I'll go easy on you." Shizune said, as she made a dash for her opponent, while secretly prepping the poison needle launcher on her wrist.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Masaru said, getting ready for whatever she might throw.

Shizune threw a punch at Masaru, who barely managed to sidestep out of the way in time, and then placed his hand towards her wrist so that her attack would be redirected. During the control of her movements, he leapt up, still holding her, and kicked at her back with both feet, propelling himself airborne, and knocking her to the ground.

While in mid flight, Masaru produced several shuriken from his pouch, and expertly aimed each one towards Shizune. Even though she had fallen to the ground, she was able to recover quickly enough to see the projectiles coming, but not quickly enough to dodge them, nor pull anything out to deflect them.

However, there was one thing she noted about the shuriken, they had been thrown over different intervals. Reacting quickly, she grabbed a shuriken out of its flight path, and with the grace and skill of an experienced shinobi, she repelled all the other shuriken with the one she grabbed.

Masaru was surprised that she was able to do such a technique, considering that she hadn't much time to react to it. It was obvious to him that this battle would be much more difficult than the previous ones. However, he scarcely had time to react as she leapt up into the air and prepared to fire her launcher.

The young man remembered back in the past that shooter. Shizune had shown it to him one day when he noticed it on her wrist. She explained that it was a simple tool she used for firing off poisoned needles, and only used it in serious fights. Since she was using it now, it only meant she was going all out. However, he didn't expect what was coming next.

Just before she shot off her weapon, she flashed through a series of hand signs, even though one hand was still on the trigger string. Finishing in the monkey sign, she called for her technique. "Acid Rain Jutsu." And with that she fired.

A bunch of poison needles came at him, each of them on target, and then, he noticed that the needles were multiplying out of control in all directions. With no real place to go, he did the only thing he could, perform a substitution.

Shizune smirked as she thought that she would win this, even though she didn't necessarily like it. Her jutsu created a near endless barrage of poisoned needles with no way to dodge them. She watched on as the needles rained down on her shocked opponent. The needles then penetrated his body, and he began falling back. Shizune was about to go over to fix him up, but then she noticed him turn into a log.

She frowned at her own ignorance, realizing he'd have enough time to pull that stunt. Without turning her head around at all, she simply spoke to him.

"Not bad Masaru, but it'll take more than simple Academy tricks to beat me." With that, Masaru appeared again in the clearing.. "I don't want you to hold back on me. You may not realize it, but you are. If you want to truly not hold back, then use it. Then I'll know you 're taking me seriously."

_It_. The power he possessed. Masaru wasn't at all surprised she knew of his ability. After all, he did tell them about it on their travels together. But he wasn't sure he should do it. He wasn't particularly fond of using this power, since it was this that made him an outcast in the first place. "You sure? You might have a difficult time dealing with it." She simply nodded, indicating she wanted him to do it.

"Very well." As he said this statement, he gathered his chakra towards his eyes. And he called out the name of his hidden power. "Kannyugan!"

From Shizune's point of view, the only difference in Masaru was the fact that his pupil was no longer whole, but rather a ring, with a blue hole in the middle. To Masaru however, there was a big difference from before. His eyesight was now much clearer. His eyes actually allowed him to see something that could not be seen otherwise: the thoughts and feelings of the woman in front of him.

Shizune was thinking back to when she last saw those eyes. It had been so many years, but to her, the memory of those eyes was as plain as day. In spite of this, she knew he could see in vivid detail exactly what she was remembering. Not that it mattered much, him seeing these thoughts couldn't have much of an impact.

"You're wrong." Masaru said suddenly. "What I'm seeing will have an effect on the outcome on this match."

With that, he dropped into a very peculiar taijutsu stance. He had kept his left leg in place, yet his right leg was moved backwards in a 180-degree arc and stretched out fully. His upper body had been bent forward slightly, with his left arm kept to the front, and his right arm stretched back in an arc similar to his foot. Shizune noted that in this stance, he would be particularly slow to react to anything she might throw at him.

Masaru was already aware of his taijutsu stance's slow attack time, but that is how it is meant to be done. The goal was to allow to make the opponent make the first move, and then react accordingly based on the thoughts that are picked up. It was through his ability to properly respond to any external stimulus that this taijutsu style works at all.

Both combatants noticed a leaf falling to the ground nearby. As soon as this leaf hit the ground, both of them charged forward, aiming to test each other in hand to hand: Masaru with his taijutsu, and Shizune with her Mystical Palm. Each of them launched a flurry of attacks at the other, but Shizune was not landing any hits.

This really didn't come as any surprise to her. He was aware at how dangerous her jutsu was in combat scenarios, and he more focused on dodging her rapid attacks, rather than going on the offense, and only striking when he could find an opening. Since the Kannyugan was reading her every thought, he knew where all her strikes were headed, so he was able to dodge them effectively. Unfortunately, there weren't too many openings, and each attack was simply a glancing blow on the older woman.

Both of them could see that this little physical contest of theirs was getting nowhere. "_I guess I should try my long ranged attacks_." Masaru thought to himself, before jumping back a distance, and launching a few shuriken at her.

Shizune had no problem deflecting the shuriken, but knew it was just to give him some breathing room. She took in to consideration this tactic. He was going to keep his distance at this point, so that meant he would be using long ranged attacks. Well, two can play at that game. She prepared a quick set of kunai, and got ready to attack.

He noted that Shizune was going to jump into the air and launch five kunai, one directly at him, one on each side of him, one in front of him, and one behind him, so there wasn't anywhere to go.

His reading was right on target, as she did exactly what he predicted, and prepared a counterattack. "Wind Style: Cyclone Blade Jutsu." In that instant, the winds picked up around Masaru, accelerating to extremely high velocities, which was able to effectively repel each of the kunai with ease.

"You'll have to do better than that Shizune-chan! And this is only round one. Here's round two!" Then certain parts of the cyclone started to shine, radiating in each direction. Shizune realized that wind blades would begin shooting out in each direction.

Tsunade had taught were once that a cut from a wind blade is the worst kind. It was said it was created by using wind to create a vacuum in the shape of a blade. In this way, the blade could cut cleanly through anything, even diamond. And if bones are cut away from the body this way, they were impossible to reattach. Her only instinct was to dodge for her life.

As the blades were released from the tornado surrounding Masaru, she calculated the trajectories of each blade, and only made the movements that were necessary for her to avoid getting cut. She had a few close calls in dodging them, but she was able to get away unscathed.

She gathered her wits about her, and turned back towards the young man, who was ready for more. Without a word, they both pulled out a kunai, and charged each other. The sound of metal clashing echoed all around as their kunai met, each one pushing against the other, but neither one giving way. Shizune looked into her opponent's eyes, and his Kannyugan was still active. As she stared into it, she felt as though there wasn't much she could do to hold him off. She could hold on for some time, but at this rate, the battle would be over soon.

"You've gotten good, Masaru-kun. Where'd you learn that jutsu you used?" Shizune inquired, in spite of the battle they were in.

"It was a jutsu I created myself at some point after I left you and Tsunade-chan. You had showed me I had a particular flair for wind jutsus, so I trained myself in creating my own unique jutsus." Shizune nodded, remembering that in training Masaru, one of the things she did was test his affinity with a chakra card. Then she remembered her current position, and prepared her next move.

Shizune loosened up on her kunai, and drop to deliver a sweeping kick towards his legs, but he dodged back, swung a few punches towards her to get her to back off a bit, and jumped towards a nearby tree branch. However, shortly after he landed, the branch gave beneath him, and he was forced to move elsewhere. He wondered why that branch was so weak when it should've been able to support his weight. It was then he noticed the landscape for the first time since the battle started.

The land was no longer plush and green like it once was. Replacing it was what would seem to be a very haunting forest, where the ground was barren, and the trees were decaying. He didn't see how this could happen, until he remembered Shizune's Acid Rain attack. The poison in the needles must've eaten away at the environment, turning it into the wasteland before him.

A hissing sound behind him drew his attention, and got caught in a blast by a nearby exploding tag, but he was quick to place a hand quickly on the ground, and do some side flips to recover from the blast. He was surprised she had the time to set that up. But luckily, she wasn't the only one with tricks up their sleeve. Turning to face where he saw her, he simply said one thing. "Boom."

Immediately, a bunch of exploding tags in Shizune's general area exploded simultaneously, taking her off guard, and knocking her through a loop. She prepared herself to recover from the sudden blast, but when she got up, she suddenly found a kunai at her throat. Masaru had gotten behind her, and was fully prepared to finish this if need be.

Shizune looked at her position. Around her, there were no potential traps she could use to loosen his grip. He positioned himself in such a way that he would have plenty of time to counterattack no matter how she may have moved, and he had a second kunai in his other hand in case she did try anything. There was also the fact that he had his eyes blazing, so even if she did come up with an effective escape strategy, he'd be on to it as well, and devise a countermeasure to it. The battle was over; it was as simple as that.

"Well, Masaru." Shizune simply said. "You activated the Seal of Light, so the exam is over."

**Author's Note:** Well, after a long wait, the chapter is finally out. It took longer than I originally anticipated, mainly because I had projects to do, and finals to study for. Also add in the fact that I (finally) got a Nintendo Wii during this time, so my remaining time was spent there.

The only other thing I wanted to do was make sure this chapter was done just right, since it was here that Masaru's power, the Kannyugan was shown. I want everyone to be honest. How did I do in showing it off? I'd like to know what how every thought of the ability, and the fight in general, since this is the first time I wrote a serious fight scene, and would like to know how to improve for future chapters.

**Poll**

Since Masaru has in essence joined the village already, I realized he would need to go on missions. I intend to send him out on one in a while but I've been left with a question unanswered: Who is accompanying him on the mission? Since I can't figure it out on my own, I'll let you, the readers decide. Who will go with Masaru? You may pick any two people from the following list:

Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji, Tenten

My reason for not including Ino, Naruto, and Hinata is simple. I've got plans for all of them. Anyway, let me know who you want in, and the two most wanted characters will accompany him. I think it also goes without saying that each person can only submit one vote. This poll will remain open up until the the chapter where I announce the results.

**New Jutsus**

Acid Rain Jutsu- A variation on the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, utilized by Shizune. By channeling chakra into her launcher, and then firing the needles, she can create a large onslaught of needles that covers a large area. In addition, the poison that covers the needles is more corrosive in it's nature than traditional poison, so whatever it hits will begin to dissolve as though it were hit with acid rain, thus the name of the technique. A-Rank.

Wind Style: Cyclone Blade Jutsu- A wind based jutsu created by Masaru. Chakra is channeled in a spiral around his body. This allows wind to be drawn to circle around him, that creates a shield that protects him from attacks. This shield, however, is only a lucky side effect of the jutsu. By channeling the wind into wedge shapes, he can create vacuum blades that will cut through anything in their way, and then he fires them off at the opponent. A-Rank

Kannyugan (Insight Eye)- Masaru's hidden power. By channeling chakra to his eyes, and project ing it outward towards the opponent, he is able to read what is currently passing through their mind, whether it be thoughts, emotions, or both. He utilizes this ability in combat, to quickly read their next move, and counter it how he sees fit.

See you next time for Chapter 14: Making The Grade. _Eyes Of Truth_.


	14. Making The Grade

Chapter 14- Making The Grade

Masaru smiled, happy that the test was finally over. He slowed down the flow of his chakra, which already was flowing pretty rapidly, and deactivated the Kannyugan as well, since there was no longer a need to have it active.

"Um, Masaru-kun, could you put down the kunai now? The test is over." Masaru then realized that he was still held his kunai at Shizune's neck. He blushed from embarrassment, and quickly removed the blade from its position, and placed it back in its pouch. He then took a couple of steps away from Shizune, before turning around to face her.

"So, um, what am I supposed to do now that the test is over?" He inquired. He then saw a peculiar look cross her face. A real cheesy smile broke out, and not a normal smile. It was a smile of someone about to pull off a big prank.

"Nothing, Masaru-kun. Just enjoy the trip!" With that she quickly began to leave, and he pondered what she meant. Of course, he only had about a second to ponder on this fact before he felt a tug on his body. Just after that tug came another, and another followed that. Pretty soon, he felt his body being tugged in every direction. His vision began to fail him and all he was seeing was a mass of swirling colors. The tugging on his body made him feel as though his insides were being burned alive, yet his skin felt like it was freezing. It was nearly unbearable.

Just after going through what felt like an eternity, the pain, and the disorientation had just ended, almost as if it had never existed in the first place. He was just getting his bearings straight when he heard a voice from behind speak to him. "I hoped you enjoyed your little trip." He spun around, and saw Neji there, giving off a smirk.

Masaru matched him with a smirk of his own. "Well if you consider feeling like being burned and frozen at the same time fun, then I had an absolute marvelous time." He said, before he got a little more serious. "So how did I clock in?" He inquired, taking into account that his proctor knew.

Neji pulled out a watch and looked at the time. "Pretty impressive, Masaru. You finished the exam in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds. If it took any longer you would've begun losing points."

Masaru let out a small smile, and was somewhat glad he was able to move so quickly through the exam. That 'training' he did with Lee and Gai paid off big time, since he had doubts at moving through it so quickly. He then thought of something that puzzled him.

"Neji, I'm wondering about something." Neji looked at him curiously. "After I finished each of my battles, my opponents each said that a seal was activated, yet I couldn't sense anything being activated. And one other thing: How the hell did I get here in the first place?" He said kind of loudly, but Neji could clearly see it was just for show.

"For your first question Masaru, the seals were activated in response to your chakra. The participating jonin each had a special tag on them. When you responded in the different situations, the tags would react to your chakra, and send a signal to the seal located here, which would then light up, to indicate activation. For your second question, you got here because of a jutsu used on the stone. The six seals, when combined act as sort of a teleportation jutsu, one that has existed for over a hundred years. Shortly after the six seals are activated, the person it responds to will be teleported to the location of the seals. It isn't exactly used nowadays because of the pain you experienced, since it was a very crude teleportation. I've actually heard that the Fourth Hokage, which I'm sure you heard of, had developed the technique that earned him the name 'Yellow Flash' by working extensively on this teleportation technique." Neji explained.

"Okay, so I guess you'll explain to me what I'm to do now." Masaru said, slightly tired from his excursion in the forest.

"Right now, I'd suggest getting some rest. Tsunade will be meeting soon with the chunin and jonin that had taken part in your exam, to evaluate your performance, and it will take a good part of the day. So, you should get a nap. You seem pretty tired." Neji suggested.

"Yeah, I should. I guess I'll see you again sometime, Neji." Masaru said as he began to take his leave. He was much more tired than he liked to admit. Even considering he took a couple of soldier pills in the woods to keep him going, Masaru was practically running on empty. A good nap sounded good, so he made his way to the apartment. It only took him about twenty minutes before he made it, and landed on his bed as soon as possible. He fell asleep immediately after that.

* * *

At that moment in time, Tsunade was in a meeting with all those that had taken part in the exam. She had a very simple agenda to the meeting. First, she would listen to the chunins stationed throughout the forest, and evaluate how well he evaded their detection. Then, she would speak with the jonins that had fought Masaru, and evaluate how he fought. Afterwards, she would grade him based on the evaluations, as well as the time it took him to complete the test. Even though she had wanted to show him sympathy and promote him to jonin straight away, she couldn't do that as the Hokage. The council was making sure that didn't happen. 

As she listened to the chunin speak of their evaluations, she was surprised to learn that they were only able to detect him a total of three times, and even then only barely. He certainly knew how to play it stealthy. Then again, when running from Mist ninja on your trail, she supposed he had to learn how to evade at least chunin level ninja.

"Okay, you all are dismissed. I now wish to speak to each of you who had agreed to fight." With that all the chunin had left the room they were in, allowing just the six jonin remaining. She turned to the first in the line. "Shikaku Nara, what do have to report on Masaru's ability?" She said with a commanding tone.

"Well, talking to much is troublesome, so I'll keep it simple." Shikaku lazily said. "The kid's pretty bright. He was able to see what was coming and counteract it properly. He has exceptional analytical skills, and good reflexes to accompany it." Tsunade nodded. She was well aware of the Kannyugan, and how it worked, so she figured that working with it for years in combat had taught him how to process incoming information, and react accordingly at a rapid pace. "Very well, Shikaku. Tsume Inuzuka, what do you have to report?"

"Well, he has alright speed, I'll give him that. Though I think it still needs plenty of work. However, his accuracy in his attacks is good. I'm still numb from the pressure points he hit earlier." Tsume explained, still feeling numb from her battle. She had a feeling that Tsunade had something to do with what happened in someway.

Tsunade nodded, and moved on. "Kurenai Yuhi. What do you have to say of Masaru?" She said impassively, yet with a strong undertone present.

Kurenai started to elaborate. "As Shikaku has previously stated, the boy's pretty sharp. Because his analytical skills are top-notch, he knew full well he was caught in my genjutsu. However, he lacked to ability to effectively break it for quite sometime. I don't quite see him to skilled as a jonin."

Tsunade inwardly frowned at Kurenai's refusal, but took in what she said carefully, and nodded her affirmation. "Very well, Kurenai. Maito Gai, what do you think of him?"

"He is a fine warrior of the greatest caliber. His skills are perfect. The Flames of Youth burn brightly in him." He probably would've continued praising him like this, had Tsunade, Shizune, Tsume, and Kurenai all pounded him on the head, effectively knocking him out. After everyone took a few moments to get that out of their heads, Tsunade continued. Very well. Shibi Aburame. What is there to report?"

Shibi adjusted his glasses slightly before he began his report. "After carefully analyzing what I myself observed, and what my Kikai insects did as well, I have come to the conclusion that Masaru has excellent control over his chakra, and knew how to manipulate it to get him the results he sought, which was no more than separating me from my bugs." He explained, though his beetles were slightly pissed at him for calling them just bugs.

Tsunade probably accounted for his excellent chakra control, since that was something she observed before was needed to effectively use some of the medical ninjutsu Masaru knew. "Alright. Shizune. What did you observe in your fight?" Tsunade said, curious how she was going to give her explanation.

"Well, Tsunade-sama. After observing his capabilities. I had learned his skills at deception are top-notch, knowing just how to mislead his opponents into traps. In addition, as he battled, he was able to keep on a cool head, didn't buckle under pressure, and only did what was necessary to complete his objectives. I have no doubts he would abandon his comrades, or do anything that would compromise mission objectives." Shizune said, reflecting back on her battle.

She surprised herself with how easily her analysis flowed out, but she had no doubts he wouldn't attack those close to him. When she thought back to when he used his Cyclone Blades, she remembered only a little bit of chakra being pumped into the attack. There wasn't any way the attack would've been fatal at all; it was just made to seem that way.

Tsunade smiled inwardly. What Shizune's battle was meant to prove actually played a big role in whether or not he'd get the position. Even though it was true Shizune was the only one available to perform, she had been chosen to play out the test of trust. If he had gone all out against her, he would've scored poorly, since it would show that he cared little for his own comrades and their safety. She guessed Masaru was able to determine the point of that test, and went with it.

"All right, everyone. You are all dismissed." The six jonins all turned to leave (well, five awake, and one unconscious Gai), which allowed Tsunade the peace needed to evaluate the scores, and figure out if he made it or not.

* * *

Masaru woke up from his nap, his eyes partially closed, and he shook his head to wake himself up completely. After getting up, he noticed the time: about four hours since he left the Forest of Death. "_Man, must've taken more out of me than I thought if I slept that long._" 

Just then his stomach rumbled, and he realized he hadn't eaten any real food since breakfast that morning. Sighing to himself, he looked in the cabinets to see what he had to eat. Upon inspection, he found the only food he had at the moment was ramen. Cursing himself for not realizing this sooner, he took out a couple of packets, and boiled the ramen. A few minutes later, his food was done and prepared to eat it. Just as he was about to take his first bite, there was a knock on the door. Grumbling, he got up to get the door, only to be met by a certain blue-eyed genin.

"Masaru-san. How've you been doing? I haven't seen you in a while." Naruto said, with a wide grin on his face.

"Not now, Naruto. I just got up from a nap a few moments ago, and I'm trying to eat something right now, ok?" Masaru said irritably.

Naruto cringed at the tone in his voice, and then remembered he is often like that himself after a good nap, so he just nodded his understanding. "I would just leave, but baa-chan told me to get you to see her at her office."

"Tsunade-chan?" Naruto nodded. "Well, after I finish my ramen, I'll go." Naruto perked up at the mention of ramen.

"Awesome. I told you ramen was the greatest food in the world." Naruto shouted. Masaru winced at how loud he was yelling.

"Not like that Naruto. Sushi is my favorite food. The reason I'm having ramen right now is mainly because I didn't have any other food in the house at the moment." He irritably said, hoping the blonde would shut up so he could get back to his meal.

"Well, I'll let you finish your ramen. I'll wait to take you to her office. She told me not to come back until I've brought you with me." Naruto calmly said.

With that Masaru shut the door and went to eat his ramen.

* * *

Taking about ten minutes to eat his ramen, and another fifteen for a quick shower, he was ready to leave. He opened his door to find Naruto waiting. "Took you long enough." He said. 

"Sorry, had to get a shower if I'm going to see her. I wasn't exactly very clean a bit ago." Masaru apologized.

With that they made their way towards her office. Masaru noticed he was unusually quiet, so he was a bit surprised to hear him a moment later.

"By the way, Masaru-san, why does baa-chan want to see you?" The Kyuubi container inquired. Masaru then jolted his head towards him, like he had grown a second head.

"She didn't tell you?" Naruto shook his head. "Doesn't seem like her. Anyway, simply out, I had taken a test earlier today to see where I would rank as a ninja of the Leaf."

Naruto then began shouting pretty loudly about how awesome it would be to comrades-in-arms, though Masaru only paid him half a mind. It was only when he felt Naruto stop that he decided to continue.

"Hate to burst your bubble, Naruto, but at the moment I'm considered a temporary ninja." Seeing Naruto's surprised face, he continued on. "At the moment I'm not entirely sure if I want to tie myself down to any one place. I've been wandering around a long time, and it's something I've grown used to. So Tsunade offered a temporary ninja position to see how I adapt to it. If I like it, I'll stay on permanently. If not, I can leave, and no one would chase after me."

Masaru looked on at the blonde's sullen look, and tried to cheer him up. Because of this, he lost track of where he was going, and bumped into someone. Masaru and the other person ended up on the ground.

"Ow!" Masaru exclaimed before looking upon his the person he ended up bumping into. "Oh, it's you. Hello, Ino."

The Yamanaka girl's mood suddenly became somewhat foul as she saw whom she bumped into. "Oh. Hi, Masaru. Sorry about that. Wasn't seeing where I was going."

"Alright I guess. I wasn't paying attention myself." He retorted. It was at this point he noticed her attire. Unlike her previous outfit. She had instead put on a dark purple jumpsuit, a suit that was remarkably similar to Rock Lee's, except that it was a different color, and even though he didn't want to admit, it actually looked good on her. He blushed lightly when he noticed that it accentuated all of her curves just perfectly.

Unfortunately, this blush didn't go unnoticed by her, and she let out a small smirk. "You like what you see, Masaru. Shame that you couldn't get any of me. You got to look, but you don't get to touch." She devilishly said.

"If that's the case, then I think I already touched anyway. I did bump into you." Masaru said with a smirk of his own. "Sorry I can't play with you more, but the Hokage wants to see me. Let's go, Naruto." Masaru then dashed off, leaving behind a fuming Ino.

Naruto, who had been watching the exchange silently, quickly followed suit. "What was that about, Masaru-san?"

"You don't want to know."

* * *

It only took them a few more minutes after that to arrive at the Hokage mansion. Running at high speeds tends to do that, especially if you're a ninja. 

"Well, I guess that was fun. Well, I should see what she wants. See ya, Naruto." He enter the room to see Tsunade at her desk, and at her sides were Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

"Welcome, Masaru." The elderly Koharu said, while Homura nodded.

"Hello, esteemed council members." Masaru said, while letting out a courteous bow, so they wouldn't think down on him. The tension he felt coming off of them

Both Homura and Koharu still didn't like the idea too much of an outsider being granted temporary ninja status. It was only because Tsunade went to great lengths to convince them that they had agreed to this at all, albeit reluctantly. So they kept their eyes on him, looking for any reason at all to dismiss him. However, they had found none. As this was going on Tsunade was informing him of all the outcomes presented during his excursion in the Forest of Death. In truth, he was only really paying half a mind to this information, but kept a straight face to avoid any problems.

Tsunade then decided to speak up about more important matters. "Masaru Kokaku. You have shown much skill and dedication to your work as you fought through the trials that you have been placed through. You have shown exceptional ability, and because of what you have been able to do, I am giving you the rank of Jonin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Congratulations."

Masaru simply smiled.

**Author's Note:** Well this concludes the first arc of the story. This chapter was much harder than expected to get out than I thought, particularly at the end. I don't really know that much about Homura and Koharu to get their characters down just right, so I did the best I could. I hope you liked the results.

**Poll**

Since Masaru has in essence joined the village already, I realized he would need to go on missions. I intend to send him out on one in a while but I've been left with a question unanswered: Who is accompanying him on the mission? Since I can't figure it out on my own, I'll let you, the readers decide. Who will go with Masaru? You may pick any two people from the following list:

Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji, Tenten

My reason for not including Ino, Naruto, and Hinata is simple. I've got plans for all of them. Anyway, let me know who you want in, and the two most wanted characters will accompany him. I think it also goes without saying that each person can only submit one vote. This poll will remain open up until the the chapter where I announce the results.

Make sure your here next time for Chapter 15: Relic Of The Past Part 1

_Eyes Of Truth._

By the way, I'd like to see several reviews before I post the next chapter. I was pretty diappointed that Ch. 13 only received one review. So until I see some reviews, I won't bring out the next chapter.


	15. Relic Of The Past Part 1

Chapter 15- Relic Of The Past Part 1

Rumors spread like wildfire through the Village Hidden in the Leaves. All of which seemed to be centered around one particular individual. Among them were that the weird guy in town had been made into a ninja. That this person and Tsunade are really good friends, and that he is having relations with some of the female populace. Of course, not ALL of these rumors are true, but no one is really trying to clarify if the are fact or fiction.

Meanwhile, Masaru was doing his best to ignore the rumors floating about regarding him. In all honesty, he already knew he would be the talk of the town the moment he decided to accept this position he was in, which at the moment he wasn't enjoying at all.

It seems as though that he had accepted the position of temporary jonin during a period in which mission requests in the village is at a low, and he wasn't seriously being considered for doing any serious missions. In fact, all he has been getting were lame D-rank missions around the village. He was getting seriously irritated by this fact, and would've complained, and he did, but Tsunade couldn't get him any better missions since none were available. He simply grumbled while he accepted her simple reasoning.

At least today he would get a chance to let off some steam. It was common policy that if a shinobi goes ten days straight doing missions, then by law they are required to take two days off from active duty. It was a law set in place during the reign of the Second Hokage, who saw it necessary that if a ninja does too much work, then their morale would drop, and would be less effective in the long run, and could ultimately ruin the village. A wise decision on his part.

Now Masaru was happy that he could at least take some time off from his work to enjoy the town a bit, when he remembered something he had wanted to do every since Naruto took him on that tour of the village: to go and explore the abandoned complex.

It was definitely one of his favorite hobbies to go explore ruins of any location that he could find, and see what mysteries they held. He wasn't too much for material wealth that could be hidden, though he did take some of that for himself only if he felt he needed it for some of his basic necessities. He was more often than not drawn to the history of such places, and perhaps anything that served a practical purpose. It was during such an expedition he found the sword that now rests on his back.

He had originally been exploring the lands that lie west of the Wind and Earth Countries, when an earthquake had hit. It didn't put him in any position that would be deemed life threatening, but it did uncover some ancient ruins. Lying deep within the ruins was the sword, and surprisingly, it was in absolute prefect condition, regardless of how long it had been buried. He also had to marvel at its craftsmanship. Either it was made of a special metal, or had some innate magical, he couldn't tell, but one thing that made it unique was that since the day he found it, he's never sharpened it, and it is still as sharp as the day he found it, which if he had to guess, was roughly five years ago.

His thoughts were brought back to the present when he noticed he needed to pay attention to where he was going so he didn't miss the building. He also noticed a couple of figures not too far away.

Nearby were Naruto and his friend, Shikamaru. Over the course of the past three weeks since his exam, in between the missions he was given, he had spent some time with Naruto, who had introduced him to all of his different friends, and he admitted that they were really a diverse bunch.

Shikamaru, in his eyes, he saw as quite a genius, yet the laziest person he had ever met. He would sooner take a nap before putting his life at risk, yet he did hold those close to him in top priority. He had spent some time with Shikamaru playing shogi. Most of the time Shikamaru would win, but Masaru did get lucky a couple of times.

It was also around the same time he had also met Shikamaru's best friend, Choji. He would've made a comment about him being fat, but Naruto quickly covered his mouth before he could say it. Naruto told never to say that word to Choji. Since then, he had spoken with the Akimichi regarding various different foods, and Masaru also gave Choji some new recipes for sushi, some that had come from some faraway lands. HE was thanked profusely for that.

It took some effort, but Naruto had tracked down his friend, Sai, and introduced the two. There really wasn't much interaction going on between the two, since Masaru realized quickly he wasn't exactly a social person.

By complete chance, they met up with Shino, who Masaru quickly recognized. The Kannyugan wielder saw him in many ways similar to Sai, except Shino was slightly more outgoing. Though Masaru admitted it would be a while until he could get used to the bugs.

Naruto had also introduced him to Neji's teammate Tenten, though it was really unnecessary, because the two of them had already met during one day during the week before the exam when he was 'training' with Gai and Lee. He thought she was a pretty nice woman, and when he learned that she was a weapons specialist, he had approached her about possibly assisting him in his weapons practice, since he admitted that aside from a sword, his weapon skills were lackluster.

The last person he met was Kiba. He was the last one to meet since he had been on a mission with his sister for a few weeks, and had returned about a week ago. The two of them had gotten along quite well, and he also got along well with Akamaru as well, he didn't really have any problems with the pair.

The other two were quick to notice his presence as well, since they both had waved to him before he walked over. "Hi, you two. So what's going on?" He inquired.

"Eh? Not much, Masaru-san. With the lack of missions, there hasn't been much to do around here." Naruto said, looking quite bored, while Shikamaru just nodded his head in agreement.

"I know. Though, seeing as how I have nothing really to do since I have the day off, I decided to do something interesting." Masaru said, catching the interest of the other two.

"What do you have in mind, Masaru?" Shikamaru inquired.

He explained to them that he intended to visit the abandoned clan complex nearby, and see what it was like in there. He had also mentioned that he took up a hobby as an adventurer of sorts, and he wanted to see what secrets the building held. Both of them stared at him with wide eyes.

"Are you sure that's safe? The place doesn't exactly look stable. You could end up dead if it collapsed." Shikamaru said.

"You haven't been listening to me, right, Shikamaru? I said I do this kind of thing all the time. I've learned to be able to tell exactly how stable a structure is by looking at it. Looking at the complex, I can tell it could hold for a few more years before it collapsed. Anyway, it could be fun. You two wanna come with?" Masaru said.

Both of them thought it over long and hard, weighing the pros and cons of going and not going. There wasn't anything for either of them to do, since like Masaru, they too had the day off. They could always train, but they train everyday, and they could always get to it later. Besides, they saw the potential training they could get out of this, particularly in stealth. If it was unstable like Shikamaru thought, then if they made a wrong move, the place would collapse, indicating detection. Shikamaru believed that the place must hold many different books he could potentially read, and Naruto believed that as ninjas, there was nothing they couldn't handle, so they came to a unanimous decision. "Yes."

And with that, the trio made their way to the complex.

It only took them about five minutes before they stood before their destination, looking upon what was inside, an old, decrepit building with a vast well of knowledge undoubtedly inside. The only thing separating them from the complex was just one giant, metallic gate.

Naruto, being the rash foolish self he is, decided to simply jump over the gate, and that he did, but he did not get the results he wanted. Just as he was about to clear the gate, a strange blue barrier was emanating from at the position where Naruto was, holding him off from entering the structure. He tried it a second time, and got the same exact results.

"You're not going to get anywhere like that, Naruto. The barrier is there obviously to prevent people from getting in. Though he could see if we can try opening the gate." Shikamaru suggested.

Though try as they might, even with all three of them pushing on the door, even with using chakra to reinforce their muscles, the door just wouldn't budge. They seemed to be running out of options.

"Well, if pushing the door won't work, we could always blow it apart, right Naruto?" Masaru said, with a smirk on his face.

Naruto quickly caught on to what he meant, and began to prepare a sphere of chakra in his hand. He focused as much of his energy he could into it, without losing control of it. "Rasengan!" He called out as he thrust the sphere of chakra towards the door, hoping to blow it apart.

However, his efforts would again prove to be in vain, as the barrier that repelled him from above the gate appeared on the gate itself. The barrier was pulsing wildly as it was fending off one of Naruto's best jutsus. Te struggle for dominance lasted for several minutes, before the Rasengan ran out of energy, and dissipated, with the gate still in tact.

"Well, I guess we now know why no one ever bother to explore this place. They couldn't get past the barrier." Shikamaru said, with a knowing tone in his voice.

"Damn it! How the hell are we suppose to get in there?" Naruto angrily said, before noticing something off to the side. "Hey, what that?" He said pointing to the side.

They all went to see what he was talking about, and they found a plaque engraved into the wall. Normally, such plaques would tell as to who lived in such a place, like the Hyuga Clan's plaque. However, this one simply left a cryptic message. "Only one who can see what cannot be seen can open the path."

"That's … out of place. I don't get why a message like that would be here." Naruto said, confused. "Any ideas, Shikamaru.?"

In spite of being known as a super genius, he himself was stumped as to the meaning of the message. As ninja, they are all taught to be able to see through deception, yet he felt that such ninja training wouldn't help them open it. He just kept quiet, indicating to Naruto that he was still thinking it over.

Masaru was also thinking as well as to what it meant. "_One who can see what cannot be seen. Hmm. Perhaps I should think about what cannot be seen, before thinking of who can see it._" He thought of chakra, since that normally can't be seen, but dismissed that idea, since the Hyugas could see chakra, but this wouldn't be their complex, and had no need for it. Besides, in some instances, with enough focus, it could be seen.

All of a sudden, it hit him, and he felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. "_Thoughts, feelings, emotions. These are things that can't be seen yet I can see them perfectly. So if that is right, only I could open this gate._"

"I think I figured it out, you two." Masaru said, catching their attention, and surprising Shikamaru that he got it first. "I'm the one that can open the gate."

"Huh? Why?" Naruto blurted out, even more confused before.

"Watch." Masaru said, as he closed his eyes and channeled his chakra. When he was ready, he opened his eyes. "Kannyugan!" His eyes once again took emptied out in the middle of the pupil, and surprising the two onlookers at his new appearance, but he took no notice of them, and focused on the gate.

There, clear as day, was something he couldn't see before his eyes were active. He saw the kanji for 'lock' written on the door, glowing in the same color as the barrier he previously saw. He pressed more energy towards his eyes, and focused on the symbol in front of him. Instantly, he felt himself being pulled into something, and the world vanished around him.

* * *

Even though he could see nothing, he felt as though he was aware of everything around him at the same time, as though he could see in all directions. And in every direction was darkness. 

Masaru didn't know what happened that triggered this response from the seal he saw, but he was sure it had something to with possibly removing it. His thoughts were answered when he saw a light coming up in front of him. Being in the darkness for what felt like an eternity, naturally he shielded his eyes from the light until he could adjust. When he was able to focus, what he saw surprised him.

He was no longer at the gate with Naruto and Shikamaru, but rather in a very small room. He estimated the room spanned no more than thirty feet from wall to wall, and no higher than eight feet as well. The walls looked to be made out of clay bricks. However, those bricks seemed to be decayed a bit, giving it the appearance of a room in some ancient ruins.

Aside from the lack of décor, there are only two things that stood out in the room. One was on the wall opposite of where he was, where shining on the wall was the same seal that he saw glowing on the gate of the estate. The other anomaly was a pedestal that rested in the center of the chamber. Upon closer inspection, he saw markings engraved into it, side by side to each other. One of the marks was the kanji for 'lock', and was glowing the same as the seal on the wall, while the other mark was the kanji for 'open' and looked pretty faded.

Curious to this, Masaru had placed his hand on the faded symbol, trying to discern its meaning. No sooner did he do this that the symbol started to let off a glow, not as intense as the other, but it was gradually getting brighter. He also saw that the 'lock' symbol was beginning to lose its glow. Turning his attention to the seal, it started reacting as well. The 'lock' seal flickered away, showing the 'open' seal, then flickered back to 'lock.' As the symbol on the pedestal grew brighter, the flickering between the two symbols began to pick up in speed until it stopped completely on the 'open' seal, and the 'lock' symbol on the pedestal completely lost its glow.

A sudden rumbling brought the Kannyugan wielder's attention to the seal on the wall, where the bricks in the wall were realigning themselves, forming an opening for him to go through. Deciding he didn't want to stick around here. He went through the opening, and was blinded by a bright light…

* * *

"Masaru-san! Masaru-san!" Was all he could hear in his ears as his senses began returning to him. Looking around, he could see Naruto and Shikamaru, exactly where he was just a moment ago! 

"Masaru, what happened to you? You looked like you spaced out on us just now." Shikamaru said, with a hint of concern in his voice.

"I… think I'm ok." Masaru said shakily, before telling them about what he saw while he was out of it. Shikamaru took this all in and came to a conclusion.

"If what you said is correct, then we should be able to open the gate now. So, let's try it." Shikamaru commanded. Immediately the three of them got to work on pushing the gate. Unlike the last time, they actually made progress, at pushing it, until, they got it open completely. During this time they were opening it, Naruto took it upon himself to ask a question.

"Masaru-san, what was it that happened to your eyes a moment ago? They didn't look like any eyes I've seen." Masaru wearily looked at Naruto, and turned to Shikamaru, hoping to find a way out of this. Unfortunately, his face held the same curiosity as Naruto's did.

"Not right now. It's something important to me. That's all I'm saying as of now. First, I want to see what is in this place." Masaru told them. "_I want to know what secrets this place holds now more than ever, especially since I'm the one that had to open the door._"

With one final heave, the gates were open.

**Author's Note:** Well, hope you all liked the chapter. Originally, I wasn't going to include that segment near the beginning where Masaru meets the rest of the gang, though I became convinced that it might help people make a decision for the poll. Speaking of which, if I can get just a few more votes overall, I can close it out in just a few more chapters.

**Poll**

Since Masaru has in essence joined the village already, I realized he would need to go on missions. I intend to send him out on one in a while but I've been left with a question unanswered: Who is accompanying him on the mission? Since I can't figure it out on my own, I'll let you, the readers decide. Who will go with Masaru? You may pick any two people from the following list:

Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji, Tenten

My reason for not including Ino, Naruto, and Hinata is simple. I've got plans for all of them. Anyway, let me know who you want in, and the two most wanted characters will accompany him. I think it also goes without saying that each person can only submit one vote. This poll will remain open up until the the chapter where I announce the results.

Next time: Relic Of The Past Part 2

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	16. Relic Of The Past Part 2

Chapter 16- Relic Of The Past Part 2

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Masaru were all amazed at the sight that had befallen them. To say that the complex was gigantic would be an understatement of the highest degree. The central building itself stood about four stories high, and spanning several thousand feet in every direction. Intricate designs were painted onto the walls, some dragons and other mythical creatures being among the mix, giving the place a very archaic feeling to it. As they looked up at each floor of the manor, the designs were more intricate than the previous. It was an incredible sight to behold.

As they looked around, they noticed they were standing on a very finely carved stone walkway that wouldn't hurt their feet at all if they were to walk barefoot on it. Perhaps back when this place was in it's prime, this walkway was much better, but the passage of time had brought cracks into the stones, and weeds had made themselves abundant through those cracks.

Looking off to the sides of the main courtyard, they saw peculiar statues lining the sides of the stone walkway. Each statue had a circular base about six inches tall, and had a diameter of about 18 inches. Rising up from the base were two spirals, each one intertwining with the other, until they reached their maximum height of about eight feet tall. The statues looked to be made of marble, but with how ever long it's been since people lived here, cracks appeared on various parts of their design, and vines had weaved their way around the spirals, living there only because of the support they provided.

Off on the left side of the estate, there a tall Pagoda, about five stories tall, and about a hundred feet in width and length. The designs emblazoned onto the pagoda were flowers of varying shapes and sizes weaving their way with the framework, giving it a very natural appearance. There was probably some purpose to the Pagoda, but they would look into it soon enough.

Off on the right side of the estate were about a dozen houses, each one not exquisitely designed like the central building or pagoda, and it obvious they were just to simply be living quarters for people, nothing more. A look around the entire area revealed that a large blanket of weeds enveloped the area. But beside that only one word could describe it all.

"Wow." Naruto said in awe. The others said nothing, but they were thinking along the same lines as him.

Masaru took a few steps forward, toward one of the statues, marveling in the craftsmanship used in building such a place. He cleared away some of the vines, careful not to do anything to the statue itself, and placed his hand on it, wondering what this place was like in all it's splendor.

Naruto and Shikamaru looked over to Masaru, and they could see that he wasn't moving at all. Alarmed, they went to investigate what was wrong with him. From what they could observe, he was completely still, not moving any muscles at all, yet he wasn't using the statue as a balance. When they peered into his eyes, they saw that they were glazed over, as if he wasn't completely there.

"We should probably wait until he snaps out of it. It was his idea to come here, and he wouldn't like it if we left him behind." Shikamaru told Naruto, and so they waited. Several minutes had passed, and he hadn't woken at all. They paced back and forth wondering why he wouldn't snap. Although it was only a few minutes, to them it felt like several hours. Then suddenly, his body jerked, his hand came off of his statue, and his body fell backwards. Using his ninja speed, Naruto dashed over, grabbing Masaru's arm and keeping him from falling on the ground. Naruto pulled Masaru up all the way, and then Naruto released his hold.

"Thanks Naruto. Although I think I would've been okay if I hit the ground. It isn't like I would've fallen off a cliff or something." Masaru chuckled a little bit at this.

"What happened, Masaru? You had your hand on the statue, and you just sort of spaced out on us." Shikamaru questioned.

Masaru looked at Shikamaru, with an odd expression on his face. "I… had a vision. I saw… the complex… as it was… in its entirety. It was… raining and there was a woman… carrying a… child, and she was fleeing… from the estate. Off in the distance, in the direction… opposite that she was going, I saw… Kyuubi." Masaru said, looking towards Naruto when he mentioned that last part, who was clutching his stomach curiously.

"Is that all you saw, Masaru-san?" Naruto said, trying to hold back the look he had on his face.

"Yeah. I don't know what that was about, but we really shouldn't dwell on it. There are other things we should be doing." Masaru said, trying to change the subject.

"YEAH! LET'S GO!" Naruto shouted, eager to get a move on.

"Hang on, Naruto. Before we go any further, there is something I have to do." Before Naruto could question what, he saw Masaru prick his left thumb and smeared the blood on his right palm. He then saw him go through a familiar sequence of hand signs.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Masaru shouted as he placed his hand on the ground. Several symbols spread out from where his palm was placed, and a cloud of smoke enveloped him. When the smoke cleared, they saw a small bird on the ground, ruffling it's feathers, and looking around.

"Some useless bird. That's what you wanted to do!" Shikamaru exclaimed, before the bird turned to face him.

"Useless! I'll show you useless! And I'm a hawk, you ass!" The bird said, before it flew up and started to peck on Shikamaru's head. He was trying to get away from the bird, with little luck, while Naruto and Masaru were simply laughing at the spectacle they were seeing.

"Sorry, Shikamaru. She doesn't really like to be looked down upon by anyone because of her size. Zephira, calm down. I don't think he meant to insult you." The bird in question looked towards Masaru, then perched on his shoulder, ruffling it's feathers again.

"Alright. I'll let him off for now, but he'll really get it if he does it again." The perched hawk said, while glaring at Shikamaru, before turning to Masaru again. "It's been a while since you called any of us. What have you been doing?"

Masaru could only scratch the back of his head, while smiling sheepishly. "You see, I kind of ran into trouble a while back, and have been sticking around here for a while." Masaru saw her nod her head before he spoke again. "Anyway, I wanted you to meet Naruto and Shikamaru. Guys, this is Zephira, a good friend of mine."

They took a good look at the hawk on his shoulder. It was about 14 inches tall, and it carried a majestic look about it. However, it seemed like the look of a snobbish princess more than anything else, like the spoiled child of a very self-centered king. Her feathers were a sky blue, and head feathers were a crimson red.

"It's a pleasure to meet you two. Anyway, Masaru. You just don't call me out for just anything. So what did you really call me for?" She said, with a particular gleam in her eyes.

"Yes, Zephira. You see that big house over there?" He said, pointing to the complex. "We're gonna go explore it. Wanna join us?"

Zephira simply began jumping excitedly, before soaring into the sky and flying around in circles in the sky. Naruto and Shikamaru could only look astonished at such a behavior. They looked at Masaru curiously, who could only shrug his shoulders.

"Can't be helped. If there is one person that gets more excited about exploring ruins than I am, it's Zephira. She always loves to explore them, and the secrets they hold, and tends to get a _little_ overexcited about the prospect of doing so. If I didn't call her along, eventually she would find out, and she'd never let me hear the end of it. It would get pretty troublesome." Masaru said. "Anyway. Zephira! If you're quite done with making a fool of yourself, could you get down here. We have to figure out how we'll do this."

Even though they couldn't see it, Zephira let out a small blush, and landed on Masaru's shoulder again. She then looked to the others. "Are they coming along as well?"

"Yeah, I invited them along for the ride. That's not a problem is it?" Zephira shook her head. "As long as they aren't in the way, I doubt they'd cause a problem."

Masaru nodded his head, and then took a good look at the surrounding structures. Years of exploring ruins have given him a keen instinct of telling exactly how stable a structure is, and it has helped save his life on more than one occasion. From looking at the surroundings, the central building and the pagoda seemed to be decaying slightly, and the area off to the side with the houses was surprisingly very sturdy.

"Alright, here's the plan, we'll split up. Shikamaru, you go and check out the left side of the estate and the pagoda. Naruto, you check out the houses and the right side of the estate. Me and Zephira will explore the mansion. Alright with you too?" Masaru asked.

"Why do I have to be the one that has to explore the boring houses?" Naruto whined.

"Simple. I don't trust you to be careful enough in either the pagoda or the complex. The key to exploring ruins is that you DON'T let the place fall on you. Neither of the bigger areas looks as sturdy as the houses, so I'm leaving you there." Masaru firmly said, and Naruto simply listened.

"How do you know the houses are sturdier than the larger places, Masaru?" Shikamaru inquired.

"Years of experience." He simply replied.

"Before we go, I'll bring out some company of my own." Naruto said, before pricking his thumb, and performing the Summoning Jutsu himself. When the smoke cleared, a red frog had made itself known.

"Oi, Naruto. How's it been? I haven't seen you in a while. What's going on here? And who's that?" A slightly excited Gamakichi exclaimed.

Over the past three years, Gamakichi change a bit. Before, he used to be about seven inches tall, now he stood at about 18 inches tall. He wore a small black cloak on his back that had the kanji for 'toad prince' on it. Strapped to the side of his waist was a sheath, and anyone present could tell that a blade of some sort was in there. His eyes held a confident look to them, but despite the physical growth he has undergone, he still had the same maturity he did three years ago.

Naruto explained to Gamakichi what was going on, about exploring the ruins, and that he had wanted some company with him. Gamakichi agreed, on the premise that he gets some treats for his services. Naruto had complied with this request, since he knew Gamakichi always asked for them.

Shortly after that, he introduced Gamakichi to Masaru and Zephira. He just simply thought of Masaru as some "freaky warrior." His thoughts on Zephira could all be describe by the blush that was on his cheeks, but since he was already red to begin with, it was impossible to see it. Zephira, more or less, was thinking along the same lines about Gamakichi, with a blush that could easily match his."

"Anyway. Gamakichi, you'll be going with Naruto. You two promise to not start destroying stuff?" They both nodded. "Okay, let's go."

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the shorter than normal chapter, but there were just a few things I needed to get out of the way. The next chapters will be longer.

In regards to the poll, it looks as though Sai might be going since he's currently in the lead, though anything can happen. At the moment though, I won't close down the polls until I have two definite winners. Right now, there is a tie for the who will be going on the mission, so I'll need some more votes before I can close out the polls.

**Poll**

Since Masaru has in essence joined the village already, I realized he would need to go on missions. I intend to send him out on one in a while but I've been left with a question unanswered: Who is accompanying him on the mission? Since I can't figure it out on my own, I'll let you, the readers decide. Who will go with Masaru? You may pick any two people from the following list:

Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji, Tenten

My reason for not including Ino, Naruto, and Hinata is simple. I've got plans for all of them. Anyway, let me know who you want in, and the two most wanted characters will accompany him. I think it also goes without saying that each person can only submit one vote. This poll will remain open up until the the chapter where I announce the results.

Next time: Relic Of The Past Part 3

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	17. Relic Of The Past Part 3

Chapter 17 Relic Of The Past Part 3

Shikamaru made his way through the weeds, grumbling all the way, about "troublesome ruin freaks" and their obsession with broken things. Although he did have to admit, he was curious as to what this place held, he just wished he didn't have to go through these goddamn weeds. It was like the gods themselves were punishing him for being so lazy.

"Gah! Stupid weeds!" Shikamaru complained, so lost in his own thoughts to notice that he had been cut by the weeds. He pulled out a bandage from the pouch he had on his back, and just put it on the wound, to stop the blood flow. The problem with cuts like this is that they tended to get pretty bloody. There was also the chance of virus because of this, but he didn't have anything like that with him, so he just put on the bandage to deal with it.

"This is getting tiring." Shikamaru exclaimed. Then he remembered a technique he could use to deal with this, before going through a few hand signs, finishing with the rat sign. "Shadow Blade Jutsu!"

Upon using his technique, his shadow began to stretch up from the ground, ever so slightly. When it was about an inch off the ground, it started to spread around Shikamaru's body, until it was a completed circle. Upon completion of the circle, long streams of shadow began to protrude outward from the circle, taking shape, and eventually condensing into blades.

With a simple flare of his chakra, the blades began to rotate, picking up in speed, faster, and faster, until they were moving so fast they couldn't be seen. This little also had the effect Shikamaru desired. The fast moving blades were making quick work of chopping down all the weeds, giving him some place where there wasn't any trouble.

Pleased he at least dealt with the problem at hand, he began to move onward again, remembering to keep his jutsu going so he could keep cutting his way forward.

He really should consider calling this the Shadow Lawnmower Jutsu.

* * *

"Gah! Stupid weeds!" Naruto shouted as he found himself in a predicament not entirely unlike Shikamaru's. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have a means of dealing with the problem like Shikamaru did. If only he knew what a lawnmower looked like, or even what it was in the first place… 

"Damn it! Why do I have to go into some run down houses, while they get all the cool places?" He shouted to no one in particular.

Gamakichi, who had decided to rest on Naruto's head decided to answer. "He said you were clumsy. So am I, to a lesser extent. It's probably better this way that we just let him call the shots."

Naruto grumbled his agreement as he was getting his foot untangled from a vine that he stepped on in the path.

He had been thrilled with the prospect at first of doing something he hadn't done before. Exploring ruins without the threat of enemy ninjas seemed like a cool thing to do. Now he wasn't so sure. Was it really that interesting to let yourself be caught up in the environment just to find something that may or may not even be there, Is the prize worth it in the end? The fact that he was getting the chewed end of the stick in this wasn't helping his opinion either.

Naruto sighed to himself. Perhaps there was some hidden layer in this that he just hasn't grasped yet.

"Gamakichi?" Naruto asked his young toad friend. "What exactly are supposed to be looking for anyway?"

Gamakichi thought this over for a moment. "Hmm. I'm not entirely sure. I've heard of ruin hunters before but what they were looking for was always different. Perhaps we should just find anything that could be considered useful. That'd probably be the smartest thing to do."

Naruto only went wide-eyed with what Gamakichi said. "How did you get to be so smart, Gamakichi?'

The young toad prince chuckled. "I've been studying under my father for the past few years. I AM the next in line to become the toad chief, and he has a lot to teach me to get me prepared for the job. He has been working me hard on all of these things, and it does get tiring after a while. Honestly, I'm glad you called me. You got me out of a lesson on the various western countries. I wanted to take a break for once."

Naruto chuckled at his friend's childish response. It doesn't sound entirely unlike something he himself would've said a few years ago, when he still at the Ninja Academy. He thought back to when he would cut class, commonly when Iruka was still in the room, making it a very humorous scene for everyone present. It usually took about an hour at least before the scarred teacher managed to bring Naruto back to the classroom, and complained that his behavior caused them to fall behind in the lessons they were learning.

Naruto brought his attention back to the present when he noticed the distinct lack of weeds around his legs. Looking down he noticed that he made it to the front of one of the houses, and took note that they were bigger than he first thought.

"I guess there isn't much else to do but to go inside." Naruto said to himself, before opening the door.

* * *

"So, what do you think of this place, Zephira?" 

The bird took a good look at the grand hall of the mansion. Its sheer size would be able to hold at least a thousand men in it easy, and although it was in a state of decay, the grandeur present was enough to make it feel like a palace.

"Magnificent." Zephira said in awe. Masaru laughed slightly. He had the same kind of feeling about this place himself, though he tried to keep his emotions in check. He didn't know the exact stability of this place, and if he made a wrong move, it might be disastrous. Zephira wasn't in the same position, simply because she was on his shoulder, and not directly touching anything.

In fact, this was pretty much the way they always explored ruins. Zephira had a keen eyesight, being a hawk, and was able to see the level of instability of any given object. It also helped that she was able to feel even the slightest vibrations in the area, alerting her to the potential dangers, and telling Masaru how to proceed.

Masaru served as the main task man, by doing all of the things that were necessary to proceed. Zephira didn't have any hands, so naturally what she was capable of was limited. Together there was little they couldn't accomplish in searching any ruins.

"Masaru. It looks kind of dark going any further into this place. Could you provide some light?" Zephira asked.

"No problem." Masaru said, before going through a series of five hand signs. "Fire Style: Flame Orb Jutsu!"

Chakra began to gather in Masaru's palm, before separating from it, and gathering into a ball of fire, completely contained in a spherical shape. In some ways it looked like a spherical shape. After the orb was complete. It sprang away from Masaru's palm and was floating just a few feet away from him.

The ruin explorer remembered when he learned this jutsu. He found a scroll containing the jutsu at the entrance of a cave that was completely pitch black, and there were no materials around that could be used in the area to make a torch. Mastering the jutsu was difficult enough as it was. He was a wind type, not a fire type, so it was extremely hard for him to convert his chakra into fire, even more so since the chakra had to be gather in his hand, which ran the risk of burns. Then there was getting that contained into the sphere to use. Still, it had served him well enough, even if it's main purpose was to provide him a light source in a dark area.

He decided to stop dwelling on the past when he noticed the faraway look on Zephira's face. "You thinking about Gamakichi, Zephira?"

The hawk princess on his shoulder turned her neck towards him so fast he thought she might get whiplash. "H-How did you know?" She was able to get out.

This response only got a couple laughs. "I've known you for years. We practically know what the other's thinking. Don't be surprised that I didn't realize it. I saw that look on your face when you first saw him." Masaru teased, all the while keeping an eye out as he moved further into the darkened chambers.

"Stop being so mean!" Zephira whined.

"Alright, alright. But seriously, I don't think that hawks and toads are exactly perfect mates for each other."

"Not entirely true. You see, the summoned animals in your realm are actually more human in our world. We simply take on the forms of animals as we cross over when the summoning jutsu is used, each one of us taking on a different appearance based on our age, gender, and level of strength, as well as the clan we are from." Zephira explained.

"Clan?" Masaru asked, bewildered.

"Yes, clan. There are different clans in the other world, each representing a different animal, and when summoned to your world, will take on the shape of the animal that their own clan represents." Zephira continued.

Masaru still wasn't sure. "Okay, so I guess that is kind of why you fell for, Gamakichi, right? Because you two are more or less human?"

Zephira merely blushed as she went on. "W-Well you see. When we see other summoned creatures in this world, we are capable of seeing what they really look like." "_And when I saw Gamakichi, he was hot!_" She had as an afterthought.

"I guess I understand. It should be easy to just get with him if you can find a way to see him again." Masaru said, while the bird merely looked down.

"It's not that easy. I'll explain another time, for now, we should get going." She exclaimed before flapping her somewhat stiff wings, provoking her seat to get a move on.

"Sheesh, you can be a real pain, you know that?" Masaru proclaimed, pretty annoyed.

"What can I say, I like what I do. Wait. What's that?!"

Masaru shifted his gaze to where she was looking, and noticed that the walls around them were quickly catching on fire, with no way to escape.

"Hmm?" Was all Shikamaru could say as he entered into the pagoda. He had expected it to look pretty rundown, but he had to admit that even in it's deteriorated state, it still held a mystic feel to it.

The room itself was rather plain in a sense, since there were no objects in the room at all. Designs of dragons had laced their way around the walls, gathering to one point where it looked like a holy being with six arms and three faces, known as Asura. Judging from the way this room was designed, it seemed apparent that it was made for meditation. Checking the walls to see that they were soundproof only confirmed his theory.

Over in the corner, he saw a staircase. Heading up it, he had made his way to the next floor. "What the…?" Was all he could say when he entered the room.

The room itself was exactly the same as the first, with the lack of objects, and the same designs on the walls. However, there was one key difference. Along one of on of the walls was a waterfall. This definitely stood out, considering that a full waterfall could be contained completely within the confines of a single room was impossible. As he approached the waterfall, he noticed that his chakra was acting peculiarly. That would only mean one thing: genjutsu.

He would've considered dispelling it. However, being the intelligent shinobi he is, he looked at it from a broader angle. This place obviously served some purpose, something about the genjutsu. He remembered hearing about how some monks would meditate under a waterfall in order to hone their mental energy. This place must've served a similar purpose.

Considering the first floor, he thought that as people had grown stronger in their abilities, they could go up to the higher floors. People would learn about meditation on the first floor, so there wasn't any reason for there to be a second floor performing the same purpose. So that meant that there was a different purpose to the waterfall. The question was what?

Then it hit him. He had heard once before as well that some people, when they had reached a certain point in their mental training, they would be able to see perfectly through any illusion, no matter how strong it was. Undoubtedly, this waterfall was to teach a person to see through the illusion of there being a waterfall to begin with.

With that mystery settled, he looked around to see if there was a staircase leading up, but couldn't find one. He sighed. The only way for someone to move on was to see through the illusion, and find the staircase that way. He didn't exactly have the time to do something like that, nor did he want to dispel the genjutsu. So he did the next best thing.

Putting his hands through a few hands signs he simply made his move. "Shadow Spy Jutsu." Immediately, the jutsu took effect. Shikamaru's body slumped over, and his shadow had completely detached itself from his body.

That was the nature of the jutsu. It acted similarly to the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu, in that it served only as reconnaissance, though theirs was also able to pull off assassinations as well. The main advantage that Shikamaru had while using this jutsu was that he was unaffected by any genjutsu, so he was able to clearly see where the door was.

Returning back to his body, he stood up, and adjusted his body, since the main drawback to this jutsu was that it completely cut you off from your body, so you would need to get used to being back in it, even if you were only away from it for a couple of minutes.

Shikamaru then went through to where he saw the staircase, and surprisingly, made it up to the next floor without hassle. However, the next thing he saw were a bunch of rocks falling from the sky, wanting to crush him.

* * *

"Man, this sucks." Naruto complained as he entered another room of the house, finding nothing that could be considered 'useful.' Then again, for Naruto, useful no doubt means anything that would be used for ninja training. Whether it be a jutsu scroll, any scroll that would aid him in his chakra control, or even just some kickass weapon. But he wasn't having any luck in finding any of them. 

"Well, Naruto. You aren't looking hard enough. I saw plenty of good items, just not the things you like. Masaru would probably want to see some of the history items in here." Gamakichi explained. Although he was generally friendly with the blonde, even he had his limits when it came to his complaints. He was seriously contemplating killing him after the 100th complaint, but he knew that no one would be fond of the fact that he was dead. In spite of his faults, he really grew onto the people that became close to him, bringing out the best in all of them.

Of course, a large number of the village despised him because he hold the Kyuubi at bay, but they see him as the monster. Gamakichi knew he had worked hard at building a reputation where he would be respected. He had a good thing going for him for a while, after he had defeated Gaara of the Desert and the Shukaku inside of him about three years ago during the invasion of the village. However, he had lost a lot of that respect when he had failed to bring back the last Uchiha back from the clutches of Orochimaru.

Gamakichi internally sighed. All of Naruto's problems, no matter what they were, all centered around the monster inside of him. If he hadn't had it, then perhaps he could've lived a normal life. But then again, he wouldn't have become as strong as he is today. But he was still too loud.

"Damn it! Not again!" The jinchuuriki said, as he found nothing in another room. Gamakichi was about to complain, when he noticed something down the hall they were at.

"Hey, Naruto." The toad said, getting the boy's attention. "Do you see that candlestick down the hallway, on the wall?"

After Naruto nodded his head, affirming that he saw it, Gamakichi continued. "I don't know about you, but to me, it seems out of place, considering that everywhere else in the hall there are candlesticks with one aligning it on the other side of the wall. That particular one is all alone. There must be something there."

Understanding his short friend's blatant message. He went to investigate the candlestick on the wall. No sooner did he place his hand on it did it tilt back into the wall. Hearing a crumbling sound behind him, he turned to see the wall opposite the candlestick fall into the ground, revealing a staircase headed down.

"Don't see something like this everyday. Well, since it's here, may as well head down." Naruto said, much calmer than he normally would have. Perhaps he expended all of his anger and enthusiasm all ready in all the previous rooms.

Nah.

"Damn it!" He shouted as he had tripped on his ninja sandals, and began tumbling down the stairs. Luckily for Gamakichi, he had the foresight to jump off Naruto's head, to avoid the fate of being a toad pancake.

"Geez. How the hell did you trip all over yourself? You a real idiot, you know that?" Gamakichi questioned humorously, getting an irritated growl from his companion.

A part of Naruto's enthusiasm was still intact, since he simply ignored the toad's outburst, and focused ahead of himself. He saw a spectacular sight.

At the bottom of the staircase, there was a gigantic circular room, carved out of the earth itself. Magnificent crystal had lined the walls of the room, and with the small light source of the outside world, gave the room an otherworldly glow. Pillars had surrounded the general center area of the room, forming a circle, and also looked as though that if just one of them fell, then the entire cave structure would collapse. Not a pretty sight. Inside of the circle of pillars, was what almost seemed like an engraving in the ground, with intricate runes strewn about in a delicate pattern throughout.

But the main thing that had caught Naruto's attention was in the very center of the room. He saw a simple pedestal. Well, not so simple really. A bunch of runes, much like the ones on the ground, were carved into the sides of it. The pedestal itself was made of the same crystal that had adorned the walls. How such designs could be engraved into crystal was beyond him. On top of the pedestal was only a single scroll.

"Now that look's interesting." Naruto said in awe, as he made his approach to the pedestal. Once he had stepped onto the designs on the floor, they seemingly reacted to his presence, and began to shine with an eerie light, illuminating the entire cave. The lighting runes started from the outer portion of the circle, and worked there way inward, until the pedestal runes began to glow. When the runes there were illuminated, what looked to be a barrier giving off a green light, was surrounding the scroll, making it impossible to get at the moment.

"Now what?" No sooner did those words leave his lips, that a bunch of air from the surrounding environment get pulled to a point opposite of where Naruto was right now. He could see that the air was condensing itself, making it semi-solid, yet at the same time remaining intangible. Once the air was condensed, it began to remold itself, taking a shape of a serpent dragon, similar to what Naruto had seen when Kakashi had performed the Water Dragon Jutsu, except this one was made of air.

As the dragon let out a deafening roar, only two words escaped Naruto's lips.

"Aw, shit."

**Author's Note:** Well, there goes part 3 of the Relic of the Past saga. In regards to the Zephira/Gamakichi thing I had, as pointed out by Dragon Man 180, I included such an impossible pairing in the story, so I gave my reasoning for the pairing, like I told him I would. Hope it clears up any confusion.

**New Jutsus**

Shadow Blade Jutsu: A techinique developed by the Nara clan. This jutsu operates by extending their shadow out from their body, and into the air as well, controlling it as they will. Upon doing this, they then stretch an additional appendage along the 'track' of their shadow, which takes on the form of blade, capable of cutting through steel if swung with enough force. This blade is capable of moving anywhere along the track of the shadow, making it a very versatile technique.

Shadow Spy Jutsu: An original technique developed by Shikamaru. This complicated jutsu puts the user's very essence into their own shadow, and then breaking off from their body. Once this is accomplished, they are capable of travelling a good distance away from their body, where they may spy on an enemy encampment with the greatest of ease, provided you can keep yourself hidden. The unique design of this jutsu makes it that you are immune to genjutsus while in this state, however the user is incapable of battle as well while doing this jutsu. The maximum range the Shadow Spy can extend from the body is roughly 100 meters; any farther would prove fatal. Also, a simply shock to the main body will easily cancel the jutsu.

Fire Style- Flame Orb Jutsu: A technique utilized by Masaru. By collecting chakra to his hand, and converting it into fire, he is capable of creating a sphere of fire that would provide a simple light source. However, it can also be utilized in battle by lobbing it at an enemy, though it isn't a very reliable jutsu for combat scenarios. (D-rank with fire affinity/C-rank without fire affinity)

For the new jutsu I create, I decided that when it comes to elemental ninjutsu, that there ranks would be different based on whether or not a person has a certain elemental affinity, since obviously a person who doesn't hold an affinity for a technique will have a more difficult time then someone who does have it. On a side note, my idea for the shadow spy jutsu was inspired by the Ghost Soul in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, though I made it so that it is actually useful here.

**Poll**

I'm changing around the rules of the poll for the mission now. At the moment, only one person clearly has more votes than any other character, so as of this chapter, Sai will officially be added on as a member of Masaru's team. In regards to the other characters, there is a bunch of them tied for the second seed, so at this point, I'm resetting the poll.

It is simple, just vote for the one person that you wish to go on the mission. If you have made a vote during the previous poll, you will now be able to vote again for this poll. And these are the candidates that you can choose from, those currently tied for the second slot.

Lee, Sakura, Tenten, Neji

Next time: Relic Of The Past Part 4 (the conclusion of this mini-arc)

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review, and have a happy 4th of July!


	18. Relic Of The Past Part 4

**Warning:** There are some mild religious references in this chapter, so if for some reason you are offended in any way, then I apoligize in advance.

Chapter 18- Relic Of The Past Part 4

Shikamaru was panicking, something that rarely ever happened to him. He just entered the room, and a bunch of rocks began to fall towards him. His ninja instincts allowed him to dodge the first wave, but each time he dodged a set, another set of rocks would come at him, exactly where he was standing. And the more he dodged them, the faster they would come at him. Now he was only able to get away by mere inches.

In spite of the emotions running through him, he was at the very least trying to understand the situation. Rocks were falling from the area above, but despite their obviously heavy weight, they were not leaving a single imprint in the ground. What stumped him though was that even though he was sure this was an illusion, he could not feel any fluctuations in his chakra that would indicate otherwise. Just another mystery racked on top of one another.

He seemed to recall learning at the academy, on one of those occasions where he actually paid attention, that there was genjutsu, and there was illusions, separated as two things that have the same ending effect, but different means of executing it. Genjutsu worked by directly altering the flow of a person's chakra to their brain, causing them to experience things based on how the chakra is being controlled.

Illusions, however, worked differently in the fact that they directly influence the brain itself, without the use of altering the chakra flow. They were often as potent as genjutsu, but the hardest thing about them was that it was more difficult to overcome. Genjutsu had a simple process of stopping your own chakra flow to end the genjutsu. An illusion required a complete awareness of your own thoughts, as well as being completely aware that you are in an illusion. If you don't fully believe you are in an illusion, than you won't get out of it, a task that is often difficult to do.

Luckily a person like Shikamaru was able to pull off this feat, since he possessed these qualities.

Standing firmly in place after he dodged another set of rocks, he looked up at the next set. This time he was fully aware they weren't real. He wasn't going to back down. Prepping himself, he gathered up his strength into his fist, and punched at the rock aimed directly at his head. Immediately, he saw his hand pass through it, and saw the other rocks fade away as well. Looking around the room, he saw that all the others were fading as well.

Getting one more look around the room, he saw it was no different than the previous rooms. He also saw the staircase leading up on this floor, something he didn't see when he was first in the room. Whether it was always there and he didn't see it, or it was something that didn't show itself until after the illusion was dispelled, he didn't know. But he wasn't going to pass up the chance to move on.

* * *

Masaru and Zephira opened up a door to pass into another room, not really worrying at all about the fire that seemingly sprung up from nowhere. The hawk princess knew that Masaru's flame orb wouldn't falter under his control; he was way too levelheaded for that to happen. And since there wasn't anyone else around in the area, they knew that the fire they were in was merely an illusion, so they simply walked out of the removing, eliminating the problem easily. 

The room they were now in was pretty plain overall. They saw a dresser for clothes, a mirror, a closet, and a bed. None of them appeared to be fancy in the least bit, so it indicated that this room was used either by servants, or perhaps branch family members if there were any in this old clan house. They haven't found any archives as of yet, so there was no real way of knowing that just yet.

"Masaru, something's bothering me." Zephira said breaking the silence. Masaru turned his head to his companion. "What's up?"

"It was that illusion back there. We already knew that it was fake pretty quickly, but still, I don't see the reasoning a clan would have in setting up such a trap in their own house, especially since you mentioned to me about the lock and barrier that protect this house." The hawk explained.

Masaru nodded his affirmation. "I had a similar feeling about that as well. The best thing I can think of is that they knew they would be facing extinction soon enough, and for one reason or another, set up the illusion traps to protect what belongs to them. Anyway, perhaps we'll find some more clues further into this place. Perhaps the archives or something like that. It should show us some answers."

Zephira nodded. "Yes, the archives would have answers, and the bedrooms of the higher ups might also have a couple clues as well. Perhaps we'll find a diary or two. They would also hold some answers."

Together the two moved further into the mansion. Along the way, they had been to a number of other rooms: the dining hall, the kitchen, the living area,, the back area, where an expansive courtyard had resided, along with the remains of what appeared to be beautiful garden. However, their initial search has not led them to anything resembling what they were looking for, or anything that would be considered useful.

The lack of anything worthwhile was beginning to get on both of their nerves. However, they were able to keep their calm throughout. It was the only way that they could do what they wanted without bringing the house down around them.

Finally, after a long search, they found the archives, and they went in to see the secrets that they held.

* * *

Elsewhere, a certain blonde was frantically dodging another air blast set off by the wind dragon. Naruto had been fighting with this monstrosity for about ten minutes now, and so far he has yet to do any real damage to it at all. 

Normally, creatures like this wouldn't be too difficult to defeat, since it would only take one strong hit to effectively take it out. The problem for Naruto however was that he wasn't making such progress.

"Damn it!" The Jinchuuriki swore after the last attack had passed, but not without putting several cuts in his sweater. Naruto was going through his options as he looked on at the creature.

Shadow clones would be of no help to him. Anytime the clones launched any projectile weapons, the beast would simply create a burst of wind from its body in all directions, effectively repelling the attack. And the clone's physical attacks would also be useless. Since the dragon was made of wind, it was an intangible being that had taken a physical shape. As such, anything thrown at it would simply pass through the dragon without anything happening.

The summoning jutsu was not going to be able to help him at all in this battle, either. He had already attempted earlier in the battle to summon at least a decent sized toad so that he could have some sort of edge. But when he performed the jutsu, nothing showed up. He knew he used enough chakra to at least call on something at least as big as Gamakichi, yet nothing showed. The only thing he could think of was that summoning was prohibited in this battle. He had hoped that Gamakichi could help him, but the possibility of that was taken away as soon as the battle started.

When he had first stepped on the runes on the ground, one of the events that occurred was a barrier appearing behind him, cutting him off from Gamakichi completely. He couldn't hear him at all either, so there was no way that Naruto could get any outside help.

Naruto than considered his strongest jutsus. He already decided against using the Rasen Shuriken. His strongest jutsu undoubtedly could put an end this battle by completely tearing apart his enemy. However, he has yet to control the jutsu to a point where he could avoid damaging his arm as a result, because it took a while for it to heal, even considering the Kyuubi's healing abilities. The other factor is that doing such a jutsu in a place like where they were now would certainly destroy where they were now. He may be an idiot, and not have any experience in exploring ruins, but he did know that explosions made rocks fall, in this case on him. His only option would be the Rasengan, but he just needed the time to form it.

Naruto dashed forward towards the dragon, quickly dodging an attack from the dragon's tail, and did a midair flip followed up with a roundhouse kick to the dragon's head. He knew that it wouldn't work, but the slowed down kick allowed him to rotate his body just enough to try an experiment.

The fox container launched a quick spinning kick again at the dragon, but unlike the first kick, he expelled chakra from his foot just as he made contact with the 'surface' of the dragon's body. The effect it had was just as he had hoped. From what he could tell, the dragon reared its head back and cried out in pain, but sent out a windblast to force Naruto back, who hit the barrier hard.

His nerves were shot. Despite his best efforts to get himself to move, he was unable to do anything. The impact of hitting that barrier was intense, yet not like hitting a solid wall. It felt more like jolts of electricity were being shot through his entire being. He had wondered if that is what it felt like to be struck by lightning. But he didn't have time to ponder such things as he saw the dragon preparing another blast.

Calling upon every last ounce of willpower he possessed, Naruto had managed to get out of the way just before the blast would've destroyed him. "Finally!" Naruto said, relieved he found himself able to move, but also the fact that the Kyuubi decided to get off his lazy butt and heal the damage he had taken.

Looking up towards his foe with new determination, he began formulating a plan to finish this thing once and for all. Quickly calling up a single Shadow Clone, he made it run to the other edge of the arena, hoping to distract it in some way. After he at least managed to get its attention off him for the moment, he threw down a smoke bomb, to cover his presence.

He already knew that this plan required a lot of luck. He would hope that the dragon didn't simply blow away the smokescreen, and the next part of the plan revolved on the hope that the dragon didn't send an attack out in all directions. Under the cover of the smokescreen, he called up a larger number of Shadow Clones, using the cover of the smoke to hide which one was the real one.

With the first phase of the plan complete, he had all of the clones along with himself circling around the arena, at high speeds. Every once in a while if it looked as through the dragon would launch an attack, a clone would move in and provide a quick chakra kick to get it to halt its attack. Amidst the mass of clones, he was able to complete the Rasengan.

With this step complete, all that was left was to deliver the attack, but he just needed to get close enough. He already knew it wouldn't let him get close with an attack of this magnitude, and use everything in its power to stop him.

"_Aw, screw it._" He thought to himself, and used the tried and true method of just rushing towards the dragon. Sensing the threat in the small sphere, it shot quick wind shots to force him to release the jutsu, but every time a clone got in the way and took the hit, allowing Naruto to progress. With one final leap into the air, he held the sphere in front of him as he fell towards the behemoth dragon.

"Rasengan!" He cried out as his attack had hit the dragon's head. The dragon roared loudly as the attack hit, and it was doing everything in its power to hold off the attack. Unfortunately for it, the Rasengan had proved to be too much for it to handle, and it had dissolved completely into air after the attack had ended.

Landing on one knee, panting from the amount of chakra he used during the fight, the blonde shinobi let out a smile at the fact he had won. As if to further prove his own victory, the shining runes that had been present the entire time of the fight had faded away, causing the barriers to fade away along with them.

"Oi, what happened, Naruto?" The voice of Gamakichi spoke as the toad leaped over to his side.

"Huh? You didn't see what happened?" Asked, Naruto, clearly confused that his young friend hadn't seen anything.

"No. A wall came up between us. I didn't see anything at all. What happened?" The toad inquisitively asked. Naruto let out a sigh and explained what had happened while he was inside. Gamakichi had kept quiet the entire time, taking in the information carefully. The summoning of that creature perplexed Gamakichi the most, since he didn't know of any way to summon anything without some kind of sacrifice. He'd have to ask his father about this later.

"That's really something. Such a creature doesn't fall easily, yet you were able to take it down. Anyway, since it's been taken care of, how about we reap the spoils of victory?" Naruto nodded at this suggestion, and went to pick it up the scroll from the pedestal. Seeing it was lock with a complex locking seal on the scroll, he decided to hold on to it for now, and made his way back to where he was supposed to meet back up with Masaru and Shikamaru.

* * *

Shikamaru let out a sigh of relief, glad that he had gotten past that last room. That was the sixth room he had been through so far, if you included that first room. It was easy for him to notice that as he got up higher into pagoda, each of the trials got significantly more difficult to overcome. It didn't really come as a surprise to him. After all, the rule of progression states pretty much that anything will get more difficult the more you push into it. 

After he had finished the third room and progressed to the fourth room, he instantly was washed over with wave upon wave of vertigo. He hadn't felt so dizzy in all of his life. Even more was the fact he had never had any fear of heights. Being trained in the Leaf village meant they were taught forest warfare, and how to navigate the trees. Even if someone did have a fear of heights, they would overcome it at some point in the training. It had taken him a lot of focus, but he had managed to pull himself together and move on to the next room.

The fifth room he had to admit was one of the tower's better obstacles. He had been hit by strong wind gusts as he entered the room. He tried to move on, but it kept pushing him back to the entrance. He realized that there was some path he needed to take in this place, but even then, it wasn't enough. He needed to completely clear his mind, and envision the path he needed to walk. There were parts of the path that had led him to complete dead ends, where he needed to envision he could walk through the path there and move on. It had taken some effort, but he managed to move on.

The previous room he had been in was definitely the most difficult challenge yet. To put it simply, he saw all of his friends, all of those people close to him, dying before his very eyes, and he felt as though he couldn't do anything. Worse yet was that they were all being killed by that monstrous Hidan.

Deep down, he had realized this is the one thing in the world he feared above all else, being unable to save people when they needed him the most. It happened in the past when Asuma had died, and he had been blaming himself for his death all this time. Seeing Hidan kill everyone else when he could do anything was a lot for him to take. He was forced to overcome his guilt and his fear before the illusion had dispelled.

Now he stood on the seventh floor. He was wondering what the tower would push him through this time, since it couldn't get much worse than his own worse fear. But looking into the room, he had not found much. No illusions, no genjutsus, it looked completely normal.

Well, almost normal.

In the center of the room was a shining circle etched into the ground. It was not a very big circle. It was comparable to the size of the circle that Hidan had used for his, what Shikamaru called, voodoo jutsu. Lines had traveled through the circle, forming what seemed like a hexagon, with lines interconnecting all the unseen points.

The lazy chunin saw nothing else for himself to do but to step into the circle, since it seemed there was nothing else to do in this room. Once he had fully stepped into the circle, he nearly groaned, thinking nothing would happen, when a voice spoke out.

"**Welcome, young one.**" Shikamaru had nearly jumped out of his pants when the voice spoke. It took him a moment before he was able to regain his composure, and when he was able to speak again, all he was left with was a stutter. "Wh-Who a-are you?"

The voice let out a small chuckle. "**Relax, young one. You need not fear me. As for who I am, I am the guardian of the tower, one of those to serve under Asura. You have done well to come as far as you have. Very few people in history have successfully managed to reach this point in the tower, and you are the youngest person to every do it.**"

Shikamaru was still curious about this voice he was hearing. "What was the purpose of this tower? I don't see why people sought to climb up here."

"**That is very simple. Once long ago, this tower was used to assist monks in the past to achieve spiritual enlightenment, a task that could only be achieved by having complete control over their thoughts. As time passed, fewer people had come seeking this path, seeing as how they thought it was a waste of time. Very few people nowadays really appreciate all that the gods do for them, though I believe you yourself had met someone like this once before, am I correct?**" The voice asked, though Shikamaru knew already what he meant.

"Yeah, I met some guy named Hidan who was a diehard fan of some deity named Jashin. Tell me, is that a real deity, or was he just crazy?" Shikamaru inquired.

"**Jashin is very real, I can assure you of that. He believes solely that life as it is should be annihilated, so that the world could be started anew. He reaches out to some people, seeking to convert them into servants to carry out his bidding. This Hidan you mentioned is one of those people. He sold his soul to Jashin, and became his pawn. To inform you right now, it was because he had sold his soul that he was immortal in that he could not be killed, no matter how much he had been hurt.**" The guardian explained.

"So that explains it. I was wondering how someone who was decapitated would be able to continue living." The voice let out a chuckle at his attempt at humor. "But something else confuses me. You had mentioned to me earlier that this was once used by monks. How did it end up as being part of a clan compound?"

"**A valid question. As fewer people had come here, stories of treasures in the greatest heights of the pagoda had spread, causing bandits from all over to come and plunder the tower. The monks had been able to fend off the bandits for the most part, and those that got through fell victim to the illusions of the tower, which as you should know served both as the tower's defenses, and as a test. Eventually the clan that had lived in the compound had shown up. They came with those that had first settled your village, and had offered to protect the tower, in exchange for the use of the land. The monks had readily agreed.**"

"I… see. But what was this about a test?"

"**The test was for those that were able to achieve perfect control and focus over their thoughts. Only those that did so could begin the path to spiritual enlightenment. And a gift was bestowed upon those able to reach the top. And you, young one, had proven yourself worthy.**" The spirit had explained.

"What do you mean gift?" Shikamaru was getting more and more confused by the moment.

"**The blessings of Asura. Before you may receive your gift, first, pull out your weapon, the twin knives you carry.**" Shikamaru quickly pulled out the trench knives that he had gotten after Asuma had died. "**Now you feel a strong pain, but I suggest that you watch where your arms go.**"

No sooner did the voice finish speaking that sentence did a sharp pain overtake Shikamaru's being. From what he was able to distinguish, the pain was emanating from his sides. He clutched his sides, hoping to at least calm himself down, being careful not to stab himself with his knives. The pain kept growing, and growing. Amidst all this, it felt as though something was pushing. Pushing, and it wanted out. He was fighting hard against this feeling, but when he had started to relax a bit, the pain seemed to lessen a bit.

After he stopped fighting against, he could still feel the push from whatever it was. But instead of trying to fight against it, he embraced it. He saw now that whatever 'gift' he was receiving felt very natural to him, like it was meant to be his, and he would welcome it with open arms. After what felt like an eternity to him, he heard a very distinct rip, like cloth tearing.

Shikamaru opened his eyes to see what that was, and widened at what he saw. The rip that he had heard had come from the sweater he had worn, as well as his chunin flak jacket, but that is not what surprised him.

Coming out of four holes in his outfit, two on each side, were four distinct arms, each one looking completely like what his arms normally looked like. Moving thee new appendages around a bit had shown him that he had perfect control over each of his new limbs. One other that took him by surprise was that in each hand was a trench knife, just like the ones he was already wielding. Upon close inspection of the knives themselves, he noticed that were somewhat thicker, and about twice as long as they were before. Though overall retained the same shape. After practicing a bit at getting his limbs coordinated, the voice had spoken again.

"**You have received the blessing of Asura. Use it wisely.**" Were the last words heard before the voice faded away, and the shining circle on the ground vanished.

After that particular supernatural encounter, his mind began working again. He realized the potential he possessed now that he had two additional sets of arms. But he would need a lot of training to fully utilize them before he could use them in any combat scenarios. One other thing crossed his thoughts afterwards.

"Man, it'll be troublesome getting new clothes now." He sulked as he made his way out of the pagoda to meet up with the others.

* * *

"This place is enormous!" A certain brown-haired man exclaimed as gazed upon the archives of the mansion. The rooms itself easily looked as though the entire room covered half of a square mile, and was two stories tall, encompassing what probably could be considered a good part of the complex. However, the entirety of this location was underground, so it couldn't possibly be seen by the surface. On each floor, there were many shelves; each one was filled with various books and scrolls of varying origin. 

Going through the books, he saw many different kinds from many different lands. Among them included a history of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, as well as some history centering on some of the lesser nations. To his surprise, there was a handwritten book among some them. Opening it, he saw that they contained a lot of knowledge on the lands beyond the great nations. Something like this is big.

Getting info like this must have been no small feat. A close examination of the ink indicated that it was not just printed on, but handwritten. It was probably a rough copy of a book that was going to be published, but they never got around to it. But something like this would be a gold mine for some people. Getting a good look at it, it was detailing the sites of what lie beyond the mountains that made up the western borders of the Earth and Wind countries. In recorded history, no one had made the trek and come back alive, so there weren't any records to date of what exactly lie out there. Whoever wrote this was obviously a highly skilled individual.

Looking further, he stumbled upon a fictional section. It seemed more apparent that this seemed more like a library than just an archive. There had been plenty of books lining the shelves, and Masaru flinched as he noticed one particular series of books. The title: 'Make Out Paradise.'

Masaru didn't necessarily consider himself a pervert, but he would admit that he had read a number of books in Jiraiya's series. He did enjoy the scenes that were described in the book, though he actually enjoyed the book for how well written they were. At least, that what he would tell anyone who asked. Like he was telling Zephira now…

"I told you already. I'M NOT A PERVERT!" To hell with keeping quiet in a place like this.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Keep denying it. We've got other things to look for besides your love life." Masaru gave no response to his friend's retort, since she was right. They were hoping to find some real juice in this place, so they moved from the books, since they held no real info, to the scrolls.

"Hmm. Let's see here. 'Legends of the World.' Seems interesting." Zephira noted, indicating that they should take a look inside. Masaru opened the scroll, though put a questioning gaze on the bird, which said to her, 'I didn't know you were one to believe in silly legends.'

"Sometimes legends might be more fact than you would like to believe. Who knows what is and isn't true about the world we live in?" Zephira answered the unspoken question. Masaru simply nodded at this, and they gazed over the scroll.

After a few minutes of going over the scroll, they had decided to put it away in their bag, to look over it more, at Zephira's insistence, and to Masaru's annoyance. They continued looking through the scrolls. For a while all they were really finding were some basic shinobi information, stuff that they would teach in the Academy, not worth it.

Moving a little further in he saw that it was moving into some jutsu scrolls. At first they were stuff any genin would be able to learn, but as he went deeper into the depths, he noticed they were getting more and more advanced, even some jutsus that were easily S-ranked ninjutsu, however, none of them seemed to appealing to him at the moment. Oh well, he could always come back for them later; it wasn't like he couldn't come back here, without anyone else trying to rob this place.

After looking through nearly all of the shelves, he came across a shelf that held just one scroll. "Hmm. What's this? 'The History of the Enjin clan and uses of the bloodline limit Kannyugan.'" Masaru's face paled, and the scroll clattered to the ground upon reading those words. "Wh-What is this?" Slowly but surely, he reached down again to pick up the scroll, and started to read it through. At this point, Zephira decided to fly off and rest on a nearby perch, sensing that her summoner needed some time to figure things out for himself. If her own hunch was correct, perhaps he would find the origins of his family…

* * *

Masaru was in shock. He couldn't move. His breath came up short in his throat, and his hair was standing on end. Although, considering the circumstances, it is perfectly understandable. 

For a long time now he had never known that the Kannyugan had existed in anyway or form other than within himself, or within the woman he called 'mother.' When he was younger, before that fateful day, he trained with her constantly in how to use the Kannyugan. When she spoke of it to him, she had always referred to it as a power that the two of them possessed; not once did she refer to it as a bloodline limit. If what he had read on the scroll was true, then it could only mean, that what he had was a bloodline limit, and this was his home.

His mind was in a disarray, trying to figure out the pieces of a puzzle that he thought never existed. He had never known his family, aside from his mother. His father had died while he was at an age too young to remember, according to his mother. He had asked her before, if they had any other family matters, but thinking back, she always avoided the subject.

"Why, mom? Why?" Tears started to form in his eyes. "Why did you keep this from me? I deserved to know! I deserved to know the roots of my birth! Why did you hide from me a part of who I am? Why would you keep me away from a place where I would live my own life?" He shouted at no one in particular.

By this point, he had fallen to his knees, and the tears were streaming down his face as his mind began to wander back to the vision he had at the entrance of the estate. He remembered seeing a woman running by with a child, away from the Kyuubi. Trying to focus in on the woman, he saw what was undoubtedly his mother. If that was the case, then the child could only be one person…

Himself.

"Why?" Was all he able to ask himself, before noticing a glint out of the corner of his eye. Trying his hardest to pull himself together, he slowly got up, and sauntered over to the glint he saw, and found a scroll strewn across a desk, with an ink brush resting at the side.

Wiping away what was left of his tears, he looked over the scroll. A cursory glance told him that this was quite old, and what appeared to be old tearstains smudged out some of the texts. What he did read on the scroll, though, shocked him to the core.

"This is…!"

* * *

"Gah! Where are they already?" A certain unpredictable ninja yelled at no one in particular, waiting for his friends to return to the designated meeting place. Already he has been waiting fifteen minutes, and so far there hasn't been any sign of them. His nerves were beginning to get on edge. Well, more on edge than they already were. 

The shuffling of footsteps coming from the side of the house drew his attention, and angrily spoke "Well, it's about time, Shik…"

He was unable to get out any more words as he saw Shikamaru's appearance. He didn't seem that much different, except for the obvious fact hat he now possessed three times as many arms as he did before.

"What happened to you, Shikamaru? What's with those arms?" Naruto asking the obvious question.

"I know Masaru-san's going to be asking the same question when he gets back, and it'd be too troublesome to repeat the same story to him, so I'd rather wait and tell you both at once." Shikamaru explained, before getting a good look at Naruto. It was subtle, but he did see some torn spots in his outfit, along with dried blood. "What happened to you? You look all beaten up."

The Kyuubi jinchuuriki simply hmphed at him and spoke up. "Since you won't tell me what happened to you, I won't tell you what happened to me. So there. We'll wait until Masaru-san gets back."

It took about five more minutes of silence between the two of them (well, three if you include Gamakichi) before the doors of the main complex opened, and Masaru walked out. Overall, he looked fine. However, they could see his eyes were a bit puffy and red, s though he was crying recently. What would cause him to do that though was a mystery to them.

The man in question though, saw the other two waiting for him, and immediately noted their differing appearances. "Am I going to have to ask, or will you just explain it to me?"

Shikamaru went up first, about how he entered the pagoda, the illusions he encountered on the way up, the circle at the top, the voice that he spoke to when he entered it, and the pain he had gone through when he had received the 'blessing of Asura.' He left out of the tale though the part about how he spoke about Jashin with the voice, since it seemed like a pointless subject.

The silence held for a moment before anyone spoke up. It wasn't a surprise who it was. "That is SO cool!" Shikamaru and Masaru sighed at the blonde's hopelessness. "Alright, Naruto, now what happened to you?"

Naruto explained about how for a while he found nothing for a while as was exploring the houses, and noted they seemed like a place for a branch family if they lived there. He told them how Gamakichi told him about the irregularity regarding the candle on the wall, and the shifting wall revealing cave. He mentioned the scroll that he saw, and described in detail the battle with the wind dragon. Both of the listeners absorbed this silently, and then Naruto produced the scroll he found, and mentioned the seal that locked it.

Seeing such a scroll intrigued Masaru. "Could I take a look at that, Naruto?" Masaru asked, before Naruto threw the scroll over to him. Masaru looked over the scroll, particularly the seal, to see how difficult it was to break. He tried using the Kannyugan to see if perhaps the seal was something like what he saw on the gate, but there was no luck.

"What do you think of the seal, Masaru-san?" Shikamaru asked, curious about the seal itself, especially since he saw Masaru do that thing with his eyes again.

"No luck. The seal is incredibly advanced. Only someone who is a seal expert would know how to break it." Masaru then turned his attention their other companion. "Naruto, you mentioned once before that Jiraiya is one of your senseis, correct?" Seeing Naruto nod his head in affirmation, he spoke up again. "Take the scroll to him, and have him break it. Jiraiya has a reputation as a seal master. Something like this would be no problem for him" With that he threw the scroll back to Naruto.

"What about you, Masaru? Did something happen in there? You look as though you were crying?" Naruto spoke up.

Masaru looked down slightly. "_I was hoping they wouldn't notice. I guess I'll need to get this out anyway. But first something needs to be done first._"

"I guess you should know, since you told me what happened. However, I don't like talking about it in any place where people could potentially hear." Naruto was about to speak up, when Masaru continued. "I would prefer to talk about this, but in the process, I need to confirm something. Shikamaru, could you place your hand on my shoulder?"

Shikamaru did as he was instructed, and then Masaru spoke up again. "Okay, Naruto, now I need you to place your hand on my other shoulder, however, you also need to look me directly into my eyes. Is that alright?"

The blonde did as told, and looked into Masaru's eyes, which were gazing upon him fiercely. "Okay, you two. This may feel a little weird to you two. Kannyugan!"

Naruto noticed that Masaru's eyes were changing again, like they did back at the gate. However, there was a difference this time around. When the ring in his eyes that was his pupil was formed, the ring itself broke along the middle point around the ring, forming an inner ring, and an outer ring. It felt as though these eyes were piercing into his very soul.

And then his world went black.

**Author's Note:** Took me long enough to get his chapter out. Let me know what you think of the 'surprises' I thought up in this chapter. Also, I really want to get his poll out of the way, so please help me out with that as well.

**Poll**

I'm changing around the rules of the poll for the mission now. At the moment, only one person clearly has more votes than any other character, so as of this chapter, Sai will officially be added on as a member of Masaru's team. In regards to the other characters, there is a bunch of them tied for the second seed, so at this point, I'm resetting the poll.

It is simple, just vote for the one person that you wish to go on the mission. If you have made a vote during the previous poll, you will now be able to vote again for this poll. And these are the candidates that you can choose from, those currently tied for the second slot.

Lee, Sakura, Tenten, Neji

Next time: Chapter 19: (If I told you the title for the next chapter, I'd spoil what's going to happen, so... I'll keep you in suspense.)

_Eyes Of Truth_


	19. Special Notice

Hi, this is Eyes Of Truth here. I came to let everyone know that the next chapter will be coming up sometime in the next couple of days, but before I post it, I have a poll I want to finish.

At this point, there are only three people left that will be able to go on Masaru's mission. It is still a few chapters away, but I need to gather my ideas as to what will happen on the mission, which will be decided by who is going with him.

When you see this message, leave a quick review with who you want to go on the mission. The sooner I close up the poll, the sooner the next chapter will come out. So, my readers, here are the choices.

Sakura

Neji

Lee

Remember, just a quick choice is all I need from you.

This is Eyes Of Truth signing out.


	20. The Mindscape

Chapter 19- The Mindscape

A throbbing headache was all that greeted Naruto as he returned to the waking world. Now normally this is how he would normally wake up in the morning, except it was midday, and the last thing he remembered doing was exploring the ruins of the old complex.

Wait. Did he fall asleep? He wasn't entirely sure. He knew he never fell asleep in any random location. Only on a futon on missions, or on a bed did he ever fall asleep, yet now he felt like he was on a very hard surface, like a very solid stone, not something he would ever do. Then he remembered that the last thing he saw before going off to slumber land were those eyes of Masaru's…

"Bout time you woke up." A voice from behind spoke, and Naruto jumped up at the sudden presence behind him, with a kunai at the ready. But upon seeing it was just Shikamaru, he let himself relax. It was always good to be in the company of friends even if they were a little weird.

Naruto then got a good look at his surroundings. He was in a plain room, with the walls, floor, and ceiling all lined with stone. The room it self was shaped as a square, with the lengths of the room measuring twenty feet at most, and the height going up about 10 feet. All in all, there wasn't anything special about this room.

"Do you know where we are, Shikamaru?" Asked the blonde. The six-armed chunin simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure myself. I think Masaru-san knows, but he hasn't told me anything at all. In case you're wondering, he's over their by the door." Stated Shikamaru, who then pointed over to a door, and sure enough, Masaru was there. Naruto was wondering how the hell he could've missed that door before now. Masaru, who had been facing away before now, turned around to speak.

"Glad to see you woke up, Naruto. Didn't think you would fall asleep because of what I did." Masaru said nonchalantly. Naruto's temper flared up a bit at this moment.

"What the hell did you do to me, Masaru? What's the big idea in knocking me out, and bringing me to some weird place like this?" Naruto shouted, thinking that the person he called friend had ended up betraying him.

"Naruto, I haven't 'knocked you out' so to speak, that was just an unforeseen consequence. As for taking you to some weird place, if you want to be technical, he really haven't gone anywhere at all." The older boy explained.

Both Naruto and Shikamaru both had confused glances on their faces, telling Masaru to continue speaking. "What I mean is that our physical bodies are exactly where he had left them. However, our inner selves, the forms you see right now, are currently on a little trip."

"Where to?" The genin among the group asked.

Masaru simply chuckled, thinking of their reaction to this. "Simply put, we are currently inside your mind, Naruto."

A silence hung over the group for a moment, before a duo scream of "WHAT!" pierced the air. Masaru put his hands over his ears, hoping to stop the ringing. "Dammit you two! Do you WANT me to go deaf? I swear if we were in the village, your screams could be heard across the entire Fire Country."

"Sorry, but I think the prospect of being in this idiot's mind just seems a bit farfetched." Shikamaru pointed out, pointing towards Naruto who was glaring at him.

"I know. I know. It is difficult to believe, but I assure that it is the truth. After all, that is the basis of the Kannyugan's abilities." Once they noted that Masaru was going into explanation mode, they immediately shut up, and had their full focus on them. "Basically, the Kannyugan allows the user to enter into another's mind, read what is there, and use it to their advantage if the situation calls for it. Other times, it would be perfect for interrogation, since you could find out the truth quickly without any hassle."

"What about what you did earlier at the gate? What did you do there?" Naruto asked, wondering how he opened the gate with those eyes.

"To be honest, I'm not fully sure how that worked. When I activated the Kannyugan, somehow I entered into a chamber not unlike this one, except it had a pedestal containing symbols for 'Open' and 'Lock.' I just touched the 'Open' symbol, and it unlocked the gate. Oddly enough, it seemed like the gate somehow had a mind of it's own." Masaru explained.

"But why would it open for someone like you?" Shikamaru added on.

Masaru sighed, since he knew this was coming up. "The reason for that was because of something I found in the archives. The Kannyugan… is the bloodline trait of the Enjin clan, and I am a member of the Enjin clan."

Seeing the shocked looks on their faces, he continued on before they could ask questions. "The archives contained a document that described in full detail the uses of this ability. I never originally knew of this, because I lived away from the village almost my whole life, and just thought what I had was a power that no one else had." Masaru then turned his gaze to Naruto. "When I was a child, the power I had was considered creepy among the other children, and thought I was the incarnation of some monster." Naruto unknowingly nodded his understanding of this, remembering that he himself had gone through a childhood not unlike him.

"You said that you lived away from the village for 'almost' your entire life. How do you know you were born in the village at all?" Shikamaru asked. Masaru couldn't help but admire how sharp Shikamaru was about this.

"You see, there was only two clues I had that really gave that away to me. One was the vision I told you of, where I spotted a woman with a child. The other was some vague diary entries placed on a desk in the archives. Some of the text was smudged on the last entry, but from what I made out. The sister of the person who wrote the diary, had seemingly vanished without a trace, along with her son." Masaru explained, doing his absolute hardest to keep himself emotionally calm when bringing up this story.

"The next part of the story is the reason we are where we are now. This might seem shocking to you, Naruto, but this is something you need to hear." Masaru swallowed, hoping Naruto wouldn't freak out at this. "Naruto, I'm your cousin. We are both members of the Enjin clan.

The younger man's mind seemingly melted upon hearing those words. He was a member of the Enjin clan? What did this mean? If Masaru was family, did that mean he had other family somewhere in the world? If he was his cousin, did that mean…?

Masaru was simply reading a scroll while allowing Naruto to collect his thoughts. "I'll answer your question, Naruto. Yes, you, as well as I, possess the Kannyugan. You just simply haven't activated it yet. Though I suppose once it's active, you'll need to be trained in how to use it. And I'll have to be the one to do it." Masaru explained, while thinking about how troublesome it would be to train Naruto when that day comes.

Naruto's was smiling at the thought of having a bloodline, when he noticed the scroll he was holding. "What are you reading there, Masaru-san?"

Masaru simply smirked. "Your thoughts."

Naruto dashed over and grabbed the scroll. Sure enough, the things that Naruto had been thinking over the past few minutes were recorded on the scroll. Even now, he could see new text be added on as he was thinking more things. He then glared at Masaru, who simply shrugged his shoulders. "What? I did say the essential basis of the Kannyugan was reading minds. I was just doing that right now."

"Masaru-san." The person in question turned over to Shikamaru. "You said you needed to confirm something by bringing us here. What did you want to find out?"

He let out a laugh at this. "Sorry, I guess we got off track." His face then took on a serious look again. "Back on topic. While the diary didn't say specifically it was you Naruto, it did say that the baby was born with blonde hair and blue eyes. I suppose it did probably mention your name though, since some of the text was smudged. Smudged… by tears."

"Wha…?" Was all that came out of his mouth, coaxing Masaru to continue on. "The last entry was dated October 10th. The same day the Kyuubi attacked."

"D-Do you know who w-wrote the entry?" Naruto said, actually stuttering for once in his life.

"I would assume, based on what I gathered that the one who wrote the diary was your mother, who was my mother's sister." He got out, barely holding back the tears.

Tears were already streaming down Naruto's face. His whole life he had wondered who his family was. He knew at the least he didn't just pop up into this world, but he couldn't help questioning it. Now, he had finally found a piece of himself that had been missing for what seemed like forever. He finally found a link to his past, a link to his family.

"Do-do you know wh-who my father was?" He asked through his choked sobs.

"_I don't think I should mention it here. He already is going through a lot of emotional stress from learning about his family. Then again, I am as well._" Masaru noted, that the walls of the chamber looked as though the rock was being melted away, which, in Masaru's mind, was a bad sign. "_His mind is already taxed enough as it is, if it is showing signs of collapse on a level this high. Learning about his father could very well break him on the inside. I'll need to tread carefully. Besides, I'm not even 100 sure that person is his father. Hopefully, the answers lie here somewhere._"

After making the decision, he spoke up. "I'm not really sure, Naruto. The diary didn't really mention who your father was. However, there is a way to find out who he is, and the answers lie in here." Naruto looked at Masaru pointing to the door. "And could you pull yourself together, otherwise we aren't getting anywhere." Naruto did slowly pull himself together, wiping away the tears that had streaked his face, looking towards the door, hoping to find some answers.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes slightly when Masaru spoke about the diary. He knew more than he was letting on. He did admit, he almost didn't catch it, but he did see Masaru was hiding something.

Once Naruto went ahead through the door, he stopped Masaru with his Shadow Possession Jutsu. "Something wrong, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah. What're you hiding from Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, although it sounded more like a demand.

Masaru sighed, knowing what this was about. "Sorry, Shikamaru. I have clues as to who it is, but I don't want to speak on it just yet. At the moment, Naruto's mind is still pretty unstable. I didn't want to put him through any more stress like that until he's had a chance to calm down. If you don't believe he's at all unstable, look at the walls."

Shikamaru did as Masaru asked, and was surprised at the semi-melted walls. "Remember. We're in his mind. So the surroundings are, more or less, being affected by him. His mind right now is in a large state of collapse from the shock of learning his heritage. It'd only get worse if I told him what I know. Even more so than that if that knowledge isn't true."

"Well, you seem to know what you're talking about, so I trust you." He then released the Shadow Possession from Masaru, who was happy to at least earn his trust.

"Come on. Naruto's waiting for us."

* * *

"What took you guys so long?" An irritated blonde said. 

Masaru sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Naruto. Shikamaru was wondering if he should come along for this trip, since it's mainly for you and me." He said, while giving Shikamaru a glance that said, 'play along.'

He got the message, and went along with it. "Yeah, I was telling him about how this wasn't my family, so I shouldn't be here. But he told me it would be an interesting experience, so I decided to stick around."

Naruto was a bit skeptical, but he simply nodded, because he had other things on his minds. "Ok, I guess we should move on then. We aren't gonna find any answers unless we do some searching."

"Masaru-san, do you know how to navigate the mind? It seems like you'd know how to do that." Shikamaru asked. Taking in his surroundings, or lack thereof. Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing but complete and total darkness. But to him, it didn't feel like darkness. Rather, it felt empty. Complete and total emptiness. The only thing that seemed to exist in this void were him and his two companions.

"Not necessarily. Navigating any person's mind is always difficult. Primarily because they take on different forms and shapes based on their thoughts. I may not know how to get to where we are going, but I'll know what we'll be dealing with as we enter different places, since I have been in enough minds to recognize what different shapes mean." Masaru explained.

"What would the different shapes mean?" Naruto asked.

"I'll explain them when we find them." Masaru pointed out, closing the topic for the moment.

The team walked down a path of complete darkness for what felt like an eternity. They literally couldn't see anything, but because their self appointed leader seemed to know where he was going, to an extent, they simply trusted his judgment. Soon enough, there was a light ahead of them. Masaru took it upon himself to examine the light ahead, only to vanish from sight as he went through.

"MASARU-SAN!" Naruto shouted, going after his cousin, only to nearly wind up falling off a cliff. Shikamaru was quick to act, and pulled Naruto away from the edge. After panting for a moment, catching his breath after nearly falling off, he went down the path that seemingly appeared from nowhere. It was than they made a discovery: the fall only lasted ten feet.

"NARUTO!" A shout from the bottom of the short cliff came to them. Turning towards the voice they found… a giant bowl of ramen. Inside that bowl of ramen, was a dripping wet, covered in noodles, pissed-off Masaru.

"Only you! Only you would have a giant bowl of ramen in your mind. I'll get you for this!" With that Masaru got out of the bowl, and started chasing after Naruto, who decided it was in his best interests to run away. After catching up with Naruto, he gave him several shots at his head. With his anger quelled for the moment, he took the time to dry himself off, and get rid of any stray noodles still on him. Once he was satisfied, he decided to just get a good look at his surroundings.

Being in a number of different minds in the past, he has seen many bizarre and strange things, some of which seemingly warped the very laws of physics. Then again, when dealing with the mind itself, there aren't really any laws that demand any specific order to be applied to them. Though some people end up having at least some order in their minds.

The portion of Naruto's mind he was currently was mostly a vast mountainous area. It wasn't in the sense that there were extremely tall mountains, but rather rocks, and plateaus everywhere. In specific spots of this region, he noted several trees, varying in size, as well as how alive they were. Upon a closer inspection of one of the trees, he saw what looked like a spiral carved into the wood. He considered it could've been carved in with a chisel, however, the way the wood was chipped away so perfectly, and the spiral itself was so smooth, indicated that this was done with one strike.

A cursory glance at some of the other trees showed him similar results to this one. "_Hmm. I think I remember Naruto mention once before that a second stage Rasengan is capable of leaving marks like this on a tree._" Looking around some more, he saw in a small valley nearby a bunch of training logs and dummies, each one looking beat up and torn, as though someone was training on them. Aside from that the only other thing of interest he could note immediately was the giant bowl of ramen that seemed completely out of place in this environment.

"Whatcha' thinking about Masaru-san?" Shikamaru inquired, as he saw his friend look curiously around the area.

He didn't hesitate to give an answer. "I was just trying to discern from the environment, and the additions to it, what portion of the mind we are in." Seeing their obviously confused faces he continued. "In each person's mind, everything is precariously sorted into various different areas, and are relatively easy to access, to keep that person's emotions in check. For some of the more insane people out there, everything tends to be in disarray, which is they are so insane." He could tell they were still confused. "Sorry, it's kind of hard to explain. Only another person that is capable of reading minds would really understand it completely. And I don't mean you, Naruto. Not yet, anyway. You haven't awakened the Kannyugan yet, and even if you did have it, you have to train it to the second level before you could truly mind read.

"Second level?" Naruto asked, confused and excited, obviously from learning more about his bloodline.

"Yes. The Kannyugan has multiple levels to it. When the first level is active, it simply allows the user to read the victim's current thoughts. It is often useful in battle, since in some ways, it can help you read the opponent's next move, and work to move accordingly." Masaru paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in before continuing. "The second level of the Kannyugan allows a person to fully access what lies in a person's mind, more often used to find hidden secrets that might be buried away. I know you remember that first room we were in, right?" Seeing the two nod, he moved on. "That was what was known as the entrance chamber. It might seem farfetched to you, but the room pretty much looks the same in everyone's mind. One thing to know about that room is that is technically how far a person travels into a person's mind with the Kannyugan at level one. I would expound farther on the abilities of the Kannyugan, but they pertain to our current discussion at the moment."

"Anyway, back to what I was saying before about areas of the mind. I can't really explain the sorting thing, but I can explain that in people's minds, the areas reflect what is presented in them, helping to discern to an experienced mind reader where they are. If I had to venture a guess, I would surmise that where he are now is the part of your mind, Naruto, where your 'hobbies' are stored away." Masaru explained.

Naruto looked at him, quizzically, before taking in the environment. Everywhere he looked, he saw something he liked to do. Thinking about what his cousin said, he knew he wasn't lying; these were his 'hobbies.'

He was also surprised with the extent that Masaru was able to come to this conclusion. He himself had not seen him use the Kannyugan before today, so he had no idea that he knew about the mind to such a degree that he could be considered an expert on the matter. If he was such an expert, perhaps he could answer another question plaguing him.

* * *

An important question, hmm? What ever could it be?

**Author's Note:** I want to thank everyone that has voted in my poll. As of this chapter, Rock Lee shall be accompanying Masaru on the mission along with Sai. Personally, I see a slightly easier time having Lee on the mission, because with what I have planned, he's capable of being integrated into the different aspects of the mission with little problem.

As for the six-armed Shikamaru that's been introduced last chapter, I'll admit that it was sort of a last minute idea I had, but I could see a lot of potential in him having six arms. Who knows, he may be able to get some action from a certain fan girl with them.

I know the six arm idea is in itself weird, but I like the idea of 'experimenting' with different characters, and giving them new abilities. I've already got plans in the works for another character to receive their own upgrade, but you'll need to wait and see. If anyone has their own ideas for new abilities the people in my story can have, you're more than welcome to share them ,and I'll give you credit for the idea. The only thing is that I'll use them IF I can find a way to incorporate them into the story. The overall story is going to be really long so you have plenty of time to submit your own ideas. It's not a poll of any sort, just ways of expressing your own ideas in a story.

Next time: Chapter 20- Concealed Memories

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	21. Concealed Memories

Chapter 20- Concealed Memories

"Masaru-san?" Naruto said, getting the older boy's attention. "There have been dreams I've had in the past. It had felt like some occasions where I would end up in my own mind. But… it didn't look anything like this. It looked like a flood hallway with any different paths. It was there that…" He couldn't finish what he was saying since he remembered about the Kyuubi.

Shame really someone else finished his train of thought.

"Where you met Kyuubi, correct?" Shikamaru piped up, shocking both of the other people there.

"How do you know that?" Masaru and Naruto both shouted, before they both turned to each other for their outbursts. "How do you know that?" Naruto shouted, even more shocked that his own cousin knew of his 'condition.'

Masaru sighed. This wasn't good. He was hoping that the subject of the Kyuubi wouldn't have to come up between the two so soon. Just what seemed like a few minutes ago did they learn they were family, and it seemed a little soon to be building up some level of trust between them first, before Naruto himself would decide to speak to him about it. Apparently, he was asking for too much. He answered Naruto's question regarding how he saw the looks of hatred that the villagers were giving him during the tour, and approached Tsunade regarding the matter. He went on to explain his history with her as well, to let him know that she couldn't hide such a secret from him.

After he had finished his explanation, they both turned to Shikamaru, with the look on their faces saying it was his turn. He knew he wasn't going to like explaining this. "I kind of figured it out a few weeks, during that mission we had. I'm sure you remember, Naruto. The one where we hunted those Akatsuki members." Naruto nodded, coaxing Shikamaru to continue. "While I wasn't there at the moment, Ino and Choji had heard the comment that Kakuzu guy had made about you being the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, and of course they couldn't really keep this little tidbit of information from me, since they felt I should know."

Both of his listeners understood his answer, but one still had some questions. "Akatsuki? Who are the Akatsuki?" Masaru asked, concerned about what this could mean. It took them a few minutes to explain how they were a group of S-rank bingo book criminals, and that they were after the tailed demons, and since Naruto holds the Kyuubi, they are after him. He also mentioned Itachi Uchiha was a member of this organization.

"This isn't good. If someone like Itachi is after you, then you must live a very difficult life. I can see the reason Jiraiya took you on as his student." Masaru took a moment to think before speaking up again. "You said Itachi mainly uses genjutsu, correct?" Seeing them nod, he spoke again. "It looks like I'll have to assist in your training much more than I thought. If I can help you master your Kannyugan, you'll gain better control over your own mind, making you far more resistant to genjutsu. We'll begin that training as soon as we can. For now, your original question, Naruto…"

Masaru sat down in the lotus position for a few minutes, thinking about what Naruto had told him. Truth be told, from how Naruto described that mindscape, it just didn't add up from what he knew. People's mindscapes are almost always a random conflagration of environs, yet there are some individuals who are capable of forming their mindscapes into a single unified environment, where everything is very neatly arranged. However, it takes nearly complete mastery of your own mind to be able to pull off such a feat. Something only very skilled monks, or someone that is skilled in the use of the Kannyugan are capable of such a thing, and at the moment, Naruto is neither.

Then he remembered his 'tenant.'

"Naruto, I believe that what you were seeing was not your own mind, but rather the Kyuubi's mindscape. He's a very powerful demon, who currently lacks a physical body. I'd think that with the millennia he's lived, but the fact he's probably bored out of his mind, he decided to redecorate to his own tastes." Masaru explained with what he felt was the correct answer.

"But why would a demon want to live in a sewer?" Shikamaru asked. Masaru simply shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. People and demons have weird tastes. After you seen as much as I have, you don't really ask these questions."

Then his face got serious again. "Anyway, I may not fully understand how the Kyuubi was sealed away, but I could bet that his mind is in someway directly connected to your mindscape. You have access his chakra before, correct?"

"Yeah, I've accessed his chakra before, but most often, I don't mean to. It happens when I get all angry and stuff like that." Naruto explained. "When it does happen, I feel the Kyuubi's presence becoming stronger as I use more chakra. Even to the point that it destroys my body."

Masaru's eyes went wide at this, before regaining his composure. "I'm going to have to think on this a bit. But not right now. There's simply too many questions that need answering at the moment. And we've got some answers to find."

After opening what seemed like another door from out of nowhere, they continued their trek into the dark recesses. As they went on, they could all feel their hair standing on end, and they all shivered. It was the obvious sign that something was going to happen. But they couldn't tell what.

A swarm of kunai aimed directly at them was the only warning they got that something was up. Looking forward, they saw what appeared to be a trio of ninjas. Shikamaru and Naruto both got into battle stances, but Masaru held up his arms in front of them.

"Don't bother, you two. Those are mental defenses. You need to approach them cautiously." This left the two confused.

"Why? Can't we just beat the shit out of them?" Naruto yelled. Shikamaru sighed, realizing what Masaru was getting out here.

"Well… technically, you could beat the shit out of them, but there is an easier way to by them." He Kannyugan wielder stated sheepishly, making the other two face fall.

"What do we need to do?" Shikamaru obviously had no plan for fighting these things.

"'We' don't do anything. This is something Naruto has to do. This is his mind, those are his defenses. He can simply ask the ninja to let us through." This little statement made Shikamaru face fall a second time.

"You're kidding me, right?" Shikamaru semi-shouted, before looking at him in the face. "You're not kidding."

"Right. Now go on, Naruto." Masaru commanded.

"Um, right." He turned his attention to the three shadow shinobi, who had done nothing as they were talking, but seeing Naruto with his attention on them, they were on guard. "Uh, do you think you could let us through? There are some things we need to look into."

They all looked upon the blonde's face with a questioning gaze, apparently trying to discern the boy's intentions through his expression. After a few seconds, they could tell there was no ill will involved in this venture, and simply dissolved into nothingness.

"What was that all about?" The question obviously being addressed to Masaru, who only felt compelled to reply.

"As I said before, mental defenses. It's sort of… the mind's way of protecting against some memories that don't want to be exposed." He said, trying to phrase it a way they'd understand it. "Naruto, don't be too surprised if we end up coming across some… painful memories, but what we seek is in this direction."

Naruto only nodded gravely. He really didn't want his memories to come to the limelight like this. He knew that his childhood was horrible, filled with things he'd rather forget completely. Attempted assassinations, being forced away from playing with other children, those eyes. Those hateful eyes he saw everyday. He'd rather not have to live through them again if he could avoid it.

He was so caught up in thinking about his bad memories that he neglected to realize that the scenery had changed again. It was certainly much different from what he had anticipated.

The landscape itself looked completely decayed. Unlike before, where it was so teeming with life, here… there was no life here whatsoever. It was as though a horrible spirit had descended upon the land, and destroyed everything in it's path. Even the twilight sky looked as though it would rain a relentless death on all who passed through.

The only thing that seemed to standout in this desolate wasteland was the multitudes of carved stones that littered the landscape. Looking closely, he saw that there were words engraved upon each and every stone, but he was unable to decipher whatever archaic language was written there. He took a step back when he realized what they were.

They were gravestones. This was a graveyard.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto yelled out, clearly breaking the eardrums of the other two people present, who didn't appreciate the audio attack. Then again, no one really would.

Shikamaru took the initiative, and pounded the vocal friend to the ground, effectively shutting him up. After a few minutes of giving their ears some sweet, silent relief, they asked him what he was screaming about, who only replied there were ghosts in graveyards.

Masaru only shook his head. "Naruto, there wouldn't be ghosts in this graveyard. The only thing you'll find is your memories."

It took him a few minutes to explain to him that in the various environments that make up the minds, the memories that inhabit the 'region' of the mind take on a physical form, and solidify themselves into something in that environment. In this instance, the gravestones that were quite numerous around them contained his memories, and would react instantly to contact.

Seeing his confusion, he sighed. "Guess it's better to show you what I mean." He walked over to one of the nearby gravestones, and placed his hand on it's head. Instantly, the world around them began to warp, around them. It was difficult to describe the phenomenon, but to them it felt as though they were being warped to an entirely different location, but it didn't feel like they left the graveyard.

Once the distortion had finished, they found themselves in a simple wooden room. It was a standard room, with nothing really decorating it. The only thing standing out was what apparently was a teacher's desk.

A quick glance gave the three the clue they were not alone. Sitting behind the desk, were two people, each wearing standard uniforms that indicated they were chunin. The key differences between the two were that one of them had dark brown hair tied up to look like it was a pineapple, and had a scar running horizontally across his nose, while the other one had long, silver hair that roughly reached down to his neckline. The other person present in the room was a twelve-year-old Naruto Uzumaki.

Masaru shuddered looking at Naruto's younger self. "_Did he WANT to get himself killed?_" He thought to himself, not liking the fact that his cousin considered wearing an orange jumpsuit in his earlier tears. But he couldn't bring up the courage to say something like that to him here, because he had his own question come to mind.

"Where is this?" Was all he said. The other two face faulted at this comment. For a while now, Masaru had been telling them all about the workings of the mind, and then he just gets up and asks such a simple question. It was very mind boggling to the two, but they wouldn't admit it. Not ever.

"This is the Ninja Academy…" Naruto happily explained, before his expression changed to mild depression. "This was when…" He didn't get the chance to finish his statement, before a voice broke out over his.

"Clone Jutsu!" Was heard coming from the mouth of the younger Naruto, as he was gathering a large amount of chakra, obviously trying to perform the simple cloning technique. However, Masaru and Shikamaru couldn't help but try to suppress their chuckles when they saw him make one very sickly clone dead on the ground.

"YOU FAIL!" Roared from the voice of the scarred chunin, previously introduced to Masaru as Iruka Umino, who was irritated at his student's attempt at the jutsu.

Masaru couldn't hold his laughs back anymore at watching his younger cousin pass the genin exam. He had to clutch his stomach, the laughter was so strong. By doing this though, he had to remove his hand from some invisible object, and in doing so, the world distorted around them again, and they ended up back at the graveyard they were before, where it could be seen the 'invisible object' was the gravestone he placed his hand on.

It took a few minutes of Naruto's glaring at his two friends to get them to get their laughter under control, before he explained that was when he taken the genin exam for the third time, and failed. Masaru nearly let out another chuckle, but was silenced by another glare.

"I was wondering why Iruka-sensei was so loud when you were in there. I thought you were trying to pull some prank, and he failed you for not being too serious." Shikamaru piped up.

"I wouldn't try to prank on something as serious as the genin exam. I just couldn't do that damned clone jutsu. No matter how hard I tried to, I just couldn't get it down right!" Defended Naruto, offended by the accusations of his former classmate (though they may have been accurate in SOME instances).

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment, before speaking up again. "Well, I'll believe you, since I saw what happened. As for your clone jutsu failing, I think it had to do with the fact you possessed an abnormally large amount of chakra, which would be hard to control to make a decent clone. Make sense?" Naruto, usually dumbfounded by Shikamaru's use of smart words, only nodded his head.

"Okay, do you understand what I explained earlier about memories, or should we see something else." Masaru asked, though inside, he was quite troubled. "_Naruto, I see so many bad memories here, and I can tell, this isn't anywhere near all of them_" He thought, remembering that there are many sections of bad memories, each categorized by similarities in what happened in them. "_I want to know… what kind of life… you've been forced to live._"

His gaze around the graveyard stopped upon a particular gravestone. It wasn't much different looking from the others. However, it was easily twice the size of any of the others there. Something important was there. He could just feel it. His desire to see what lie there, he ignored the people with him, and even his own inner voice telling not to invade Naruto's privacy.

He touched the stone slab.

Instantly, the world around them began to distort around them, and they all quickly got use to the dizzying feeling that came along with it. As the spatial distortions ended, they noticed that it was a place neither Shikamaru nor Masaru have been to before, but they couldn't ask Naruto. He suddenly fell deathly quiet; something that was highly unusual for the normally loud genin.

The two decided to look at their surroundings, to deduce what was going one. It was an incredibly mountainous region, divided into two halves by a river that cascaded down a waterfall into a valley beneath them. No life flourished in the ravine, yet above and beyond it were many trees and plants. It seemed like a very natural place.

If you ignore the fact that there were two gigantic statues erected on either side of the ravine, just at the cliff faces where the waterfall was. A close look at one of the people depicted that he was the First Hokage, while his opponent was an unknown figure. The two of them realized that with those two here, it could only be the location known as the Valley of the End. But why would Naruto have a memory from this location?

"Hmm?" Masaru said, breaking the silence that had befallen the group. Shikamaru turned to him, to see he was looking off in the distance. Turning his head to follow Masaru's gaze, his eyes fell upon a pair of figures off in the distance, both of them standing on either side of the ravine.

The one they could see on one side of the ravine was the same Naruto that they had seen from the previous memory. But he was not as similar as they first thought. The jumpsuit he was wearing was torn and batter, and cut in various places. Blood and dirt was strewn across him as well, indicating that he is in the middle of an intense battle. Shikamaru nearly vomited upon seeing the hole in the young Naruto's jumpsuit. A hole that size could only come from an attack that was incredibly strong, but he knew that his opponent knew just such an attack.

The scariest part about Naruto's appearance was not the condition of his clothes, or even how worn out he was. It was the chakra coming off his body. It wasn't blue, the color chakra came as; it was red. A silhouette of red chakra was surrounding his body, and they could actually _feel_ the malice and bloodlust that came along with it, even though they were in a memory. It felt… not human. A close look at the shape showed that it looked vaguely like a fox, with one tail wagging from the rear. This could only mean that this was the chakra of the nine-tailed fox, though it couldn't be all of it, since only one tail was showing instead of nine.

The figure on the other side was above and beyond anything he has ever seen. It was a boy that was just as old as Naruto, maybe slightly older. He wore a pair of white cargo shorts, along with a blue shirt, adorned with a red and white fan on the back. It didn't take long to recognize the crest; it was the mark of the Uchiha clan, famous for their doujutsu Sharingan, capable of seeing through the techniques of anyone they faced.

Even though he was an Uchiha, he himself seemed more like a demon than anything else. His skin took on a light tone of gray, making it seem as though he was dying. A long mane of white hair adorned his head, making him seem somewhat like Jiraiya in a sense. A black cross, pointed at the ends, lined his face, centered by the nose. His Sharingan eyes, which were normally red, were now purple-tinted, and made for a terrifying appearance. The most inhuman thing that could be seen on his figure was a pair of wings that were sprouting out of his shoulder blades. Overall, he was creeped out by the appearance, but he had faced many things over the years, so he was not as intimidated as Shikamaru was.

It took Shikamaru a long moment before he realized what was going on. "So… this is what happened that day." He said in no more than a whisper, but Masaru was able to hear it.

"What do you mean that day? And who is that Naruto is fighting?" He asked, for once feeling irked he was out of the loop.

"It was that day, about two and a half years, that Naruto's closest friend and teammate, Sasuke Uchiha had left the village to go to Orochimaru for power." Shikamaru explained. Masaru jumped internally at the mention of the name Sasuke.

After that, Shikamaru explained more about the kind of person Sasuke was, and his ambition in life to avenge his clan by murdering his older brother. He simply felt the need that the village was holding him back, and left to become strong enough to do so. Through all of this, Masaru was only half-listening, because his mind was remembering what Tsunade had told him, about not using his 'methods' in finding out about Sasuke, and went and did just that. He felt ashamed he didn't keep his promise, but didn't let it show.

He turned his gaze towards Naruto, who hasn't spoken a word since the memory started. His eyes were glazed over, with an empty look on them. Since he has learned somewhat to read emotions because of his Kannyugan over the years, he could see what the problem was. Naruto didn't want to have bring up this particularly bad memory to Masaru, who he didn't want to have to burden him with his problems. He would need some reassuring.

"Naruto." Masaru said boldly, snapping the blonde out of his reverie. "I can see this is troubling you, but you can't continue dwelling on the past. Don't worry. I'll do whatever I can to help you bring him back." Naruto looked like he was about to speak up, but he was cut off. "Don't try and talk me out of this. My mind is made up. It's not only your fight. You and me, we're family, and I'll be damned if I can't do anything to help my family." He was saying, memories of his mother flashing through his mind. This only helped to further steel his resolve, and Naruto could see it in his eyes; he wasn't going to back down.

In some ways this only help him further realize that Masaru was his family. That look of determination and resolve he only truly saw in the eyes of one other person… himself. He recalled the time he made the pledge on his bleeding hand as they were on their way to the Wave Country for his first C-rank mission. It was the first time he had been exposed to the true nature of a shinobi's life, and he froze up at the first sign of danger. After that day, he swore to himself that he wouldn't back down ever again. And now, he saw that same determination being reflected in his cousin. It was there he realized truly their family ties.

Their inner thoughts were interrupted by a pair of screams. "CHIDORI?" "RASENGAN!" was all they could hear as an explosion of chakra erupted from the battle they were supposed to be watching. The explosion itself emitted so much light that it literally obscured their entire field of vision, so much so that Masaru had to move both of his arms to shield his face, thus ending the memory.

After taking a moment for them to rub the spots out of their eyes, it was Naruto who spoke up. "So… where are we going next?"

Shikamaru and Masaru were thrown off by the sudden change in attitude, but it took them a quick moment to realize why. He was obviously still reeling from the emotional damage, and he wanted to get away from as fast as possible. True, they were taught to never run away from their problems, but this time seemed like an exception.

Shikamaru turned his head to Masaru. "Well, you're the guide. Where to?"

"Hmm. Judging from what I learned so far, I think we can get to our destination pretty soon, if we head…" He took in his surroundings once again, this time using the full extent of his eyes abilities. With them working to full capacity, he was able to locate where he needed to go. "That way." He pointed off in one direction. And they headed off.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hope you all liked this chapter. As for how Shikamaru learned about Kyuubi, it wouldn't surprisie me if Ino or Choji did tell him about it, since I remember it was mentioned by Kakuzu during the fight after Shikamaru left.

A few people had asked me to have them meet Kyuubi while in Naruto's mind. I apologize, but that won't be happening sometime soon. There is something I intend to have Naruto accomplish during this story, which will only be harder overall if I include any interactions with Kyuubi until this objective is complete. I also am not fond of the idea too much of giving the fox a personality of anything but a uncontrollable killer, which I've seen in so many stories.

Next time: Chapter 21- The Past Reawakened

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	22. The Past Reawakened

Chapter 21- The Past Reawakened

The group had been traveling for what felt like at least fifteen minutes so far, yet they haven't reached… wherever the hell Masaru was headed. They had complained to him about it taking so long, but pretty much just ignored them.

Until he got fed up with the constant complaints.

"Alright! That's enough!" Masaru shouted. They cringed at his voice, not even bothering to hide it. Their guide then calmed down a bit, and start to speak up. "Listen, Naruto, Shikamaru-san. The reason we haven't arrived at the destination yet is because of the amount of mental defenses I've been disabling." He explained.

"WHAT?" The idiotic member of the team shouted. "We haven't seen anything for the past fifteen minutes! How could you have fought off any enemies without us seeing?"

"Not all mental defenses appear as the same, and they aren't all as easy to pass as the one we faced earlier. These ones…" Masaru went on. "Are on a whole other level. Only someone with the Kannyugan can consciously disable them. Only then are we really able to move on" Shikamaru picked up on the key word as he spoke

"'Consciously'?" He asked. Masaru looked at him intently, pleased he was calm about his questions, unlike Naruto, who just rushed into everything. At the moment he was wondering what he meant as well.

"Can't explain it at the moment, because you wouldn't believe what I was saying. Only once you see it will I explain to you everything. Oh look, we've arrived." He said, with mild interest as he watched their expressions.

The two diverted their attention from Masaru to see whatever it was he was looking at, and stood in awe at what they saw.

Before them was a giant door. But not just any normal door. It stood nearly three stories tall, and looked to be made primarily of a very fine marble. Many runes and seals were carved onto the door itself, and gave off a very unearthly feel. But to Naruto, it felt completely alien to him, yet it same time, felt like it was something that he had carried his entire life.

"What is this?" He asked in wonder.

Masaru could only chuckle at their reaction. He admitted to himself having the same reaction when he first saw this. "Something very important, Naruto. Behind this door are the memories of your ancestors." He said very calmly, like he was reciting it from a textbook.

"What? How can I have another person's memories? I thought I only had my own memories. No one else's!" He shouted out.

"Naruto, I know you would think that, but to be honest, I'm not surprised you think that. It's a very common belief, albeit inaccurate." Seeing the shock on his face he continued. "The thing is that memories of an individual aren't confined to that individual. It is not how evolution works. It works by using the knowledge of your predecessors and improving upon it. Passing down your own memories through your genetic code is just one example of how evolution works. In a way, you could say that memory and evolution go hand-in-hand. If this didn't happen, civilization would never progress, and eventually all of mankind would die."

He paused for a moment to let the truth sink into his thick skull. "Anyway, Naruto. Behind this door lie the memories of your parents. And their parents. And so on."

"A question Masaru-san." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah."

"Is the door the same for everyone, or does it vary from person to person?"

Masaru chuckled a bit, annoying Shikamaru. "Surprisingly no, Shikamaru. In all the minds I've read, not once have I seen any variation to the door." He pondered for a moment. "I suppose there could be some variations in some people, but if they exist, I haven't seen them."

Shikamaru didn't say anything, nodded to accept his answer. "So, how do we open this door?" He asked.

Masaru looked at Shikamaru for a moment before answering. "There lies a switch that lies hidden on the door somewhere. One strong precise strike at the spot where the switch is will open it. I'll locate it."

His Kannyugan looked at the door continuously, trying to locate the weakest point in the door, which is where the switch was. It wasn't a very easy task. The weak spot won't just reveal itself to him just like that. He would need to carefully analyze multiple different points in order to find it, since there were easily many points that looked to be what he was looking for. It took him several minutes before he was able to find for certain where it was. The only problem was that it was near the top of the door itself.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed, driving his foot into the ground to prove his frustration. Naruto was confused at his sudden change in demeanor.

"What's wrong, Masaru? You can't find it can you?" He asked abruptly, only to have Masaru glare at him.

"Yes, I have found it. The problem is that it's up there." He pointed up to where he saw the point, which they saw at being near the top.

"So? Can't you just jump up there and strike it that way? It's an easy task to do." Naruto said nonchalantly.

"I'm guessing you're not aware of the level of precision needed here. It is one small point, no bigger than the point of a needle, and we only really have one shot at it. Otherwise, the mental defenses will kick in. And to be honest, I'm running low on chakra now. If we miss the shot, we aren't getting in there." He explained in a grave tone, shocking the two of them.

"Well, then! I'll just have to make sure you don't miss then. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" That was all that was heard before at least a hundred Narutos showed up in the area. Shikamaru wasn't the least bit surprised, while Masaru's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"_How did he manage to make so many Shadow Clones? Even when I'm at my best, the most I can make is fifty. How much chakra does he have?_" Were the thoughts running through his mind, before he noticed that the Naruto squad was standing in a formation, and were standing on each other's shoulders. He quickly realized that they were forming a human pyramid, building themselves up to the point that he had mentioned.

It took several minutes of tumbles and light swearing on the side from all of them, before they were able to cooperate well enough to get the pyramid to a point Masaru could strike the weak spot.

"Come on, Masaru! I ain't getting any younger over here." Masaru rolled his eyes at Naruto's lame attempt at humor, and calmed himself down.

He intended to get up there with as few problems as possible, so he needed to be completely relaxed before he moved. If he made a mistake climbing, he would accidentally destroy one of the clones, and the entire structure would collapse, and there were still doubts as to whether or not they would be able to recreate the pyramid again.

No. This was a one shot deal. If they didn't get it now, they weren't going to get it.

He calmed his breathing down into a steady rhythm, and closed his eyes. This was one of the basic steps in meditation, to drown out all of the distractions around you, and focus only on yourself. Your actions and the world around you are much clearer when you are completely focused.

Once he had achieved a sufficient level of focus, he opened his eyes again, and dashed forward at the pyramid of Naruto. With the grace of a cat, he latched on to the various jackets to use as hand grabs, yet he did this so lightly, none of the Narutos even realized that he had been there at all. Stealth like that only occurs in some of the best shinobi.

After climbing up the pyramid, he settled himself on top of the shoulders of the Naruto that was at the top of the pyramid, which was, coincidently, the real Naruto as well. Once Masaru felt that he was perfectly stabilized at this harrowing height, he scanned the wall quickly, checking to make sure that what he was looking for was within arm's reach. Luckily, it was directly in front of him. "_Naruto must have some sharp eyesight to be able to accurately get me in this position._"

He took a moment to gather some chakra into his arm, and concentrating a good deal of it into his index finger. After he was sure the appropriate amount had been gathered, his finger lashed out at the wall, striking at the point he previously noted. Quickly afterwards, he got off Naruto's shoulders, grabbed him from the top of the clones he was standing on, and leapt down to the ground. Upon landing, he placed Naruto off to the side, and performed a sweeping kick to the clone that stood at the center of the bottom row, causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke.

With the sudden destabilization of the entire structure, it didn't take long before the clones began loosing their balance. It all went in a chain reaction. A clone would loose its balance, then tumble to the ground, vanishing just like that, and then another one would follow afterwards. This process continued until they had all vanished. The shadow clones supporting the bottom row vanished as some of them were struck by the falling clones from above.

As it should be expected, such actions only got himself a yelling from the clones' master.

"What the hell did you do that for? They did nothing wrong!" Naruto angrily pronounced, upset that his cousin would so willingly destroy all his shadow clones with nary a thought.

Masaru nervously chuckled, rubbed the back of his head, and smiled sheepishly. "Um. Oops?" Was all that left his mouth before he looked more seriously at his cousin. "Anyway. There are two reasons I did that. One is that I did what I needed to do, so there wasn't any need to keeping them around."

"What's the other reason?" Naruto asked him.

"It was fun. I just liked to see the entire thing collapse under itself. Even you have to admit it was fun watching that." Naruto merely blushed and rubbed his the back of his head, confirming what Masaru had said.

A rumbling sound had snapped the two out of their conversation. They, along with Shikamaru who was sitting back and enjoying their exchange, turned their heads to the door, the source of the rumbling. An ominous tone was falling upon the three mind wanderers, as dust seemingly fell to the ground as the rumbling steadily increased. After a long moment, the door began to open, and soon enough, they were engulfed in a blinding light.

* * *

"_Akane-neechan! Akane-neechan! Where are you?" A woman from the hallway shouted._

"_I'm in here, Kuchina-chan! In my room!" Responded the woman now identified as Akane. The woman roughly stood a height of 5' 5", and possessed long red hair, that stemmed all the way down her back to her waistline. Her brown eyes held an insurmountable depth to them. They were full of compassion, care, and understanding of all things that she could see. She wore a plain lavender kimono, that seemed to accentuate her figure quite nicely, and most would see her as the perfect woman. The only thing that most wouldn't consider attractive was the slight bulge coming from her stomach._

_The door of the room burst open, and revealed a woman that was a few years younger than Akane, named Kuchina. She was roughly a half a foot taller than her sister. She had bright red hair similar to her sister's, that she kept tied up in a ponytail that extended about halfway down her back. Her bright blue eyes showed a level of depth similar to that of her sister's. However, one trait that seemed more present in her eyes were the eyes of a trickster, as though you could expect her to pull off a prank at any minute. Yet her eyes also seemed to hold an insurmountable of wisdom, well beyond her years. She wore a kimono similar in style to her sister, except instead it was a bright orange. The other major feature that could be noted about her was that her breasts were at least a full cup size larger than Tsunade's! Even though she was incredibly modest about how large they were, she wasn't able to truly keep them completely in her kimono, so it was easy to see some of her cleavage._

_Kuchina tackled her sister onto her bed, and enveloped her in a very warm hug. After the initial shock, Akane managed to struggle free from her sister. "Kuchina-chan, what's gotten into you?" She said to her overly energetic sister._

"_I just heard the news, Akane-neechan. You're pregnant! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kuchina exclaimed, going through several different emotions in the span of just those few sentences, namely excitement, joy, and slight irritation._

"_Sorry, Kuchina-chan. I've just been so busy, and you've been on that mission for the past few months, that I haven't had the chance to tell you yet. I hope you understand." Akane apologized._

_Akane shook. "It's okay sister. I'm just so happy for you! How many months are you in?" She asked excitedly._

"_I've just entered into my fourth month. I've got so much to look forward to." Akane said, catching her sister's enthusiasm._

"_I know. We have to think up a name, get a room ready, and get so many cute baby clothes." Left the younger woman's mouth._

_The older woman just sighed/. "Kuchina-chan, I don't even know if it will be a boy or a girl yet, so isn't it a little early to be worried about some of these things."_

_Kuchina's cries of delight were cut short by her sister's remarks. This was always as it was between the two. Akane was always extremely levelheaded, and knew how to keep her calm in just about any situation. Kuchina was just the opposite, a bundle of energy that just got carried away with any thought that passed through her head, and it took her older sister to keep her in check sometimes. But regardless of their differences, they were more or less the perfect sisters._

_Kuchina grabbed her sister's hand and spoke up. "Come on. Otousan wants to see us downstairs, he wanted me to come get you."_

* * *

"What was that we saw just now?" Naruto asked. 

"I would think it was what Masaru said; a memory of one of your ancestor's. Who it was however, I have no idea." Shikamaru answered, before turning to Masaru, only to find he was in some sort of trance. "Masaru-san?" He waved on his lower arms in front of his face, trying to snap him out of whatever was affecting him, and at the same time test out his limbs for a bit.

It felt a bit peculiar to Shikamaru, but he learned that even though he was in Naruto's mind, his body stilled acted the same way it always did. Just as in the real world, his body still reacted in the same exact ways. Yet at the same time, he felt as though he couldn't truly interact with his surroundings, like he was a phantom in the mindscape. The only thing he was truly able to affect were his two teammates.

His efforts finally managed to snap Masaru out of his trance, who took a look around, before noticing Shikamaru right next to him. "Yes?" He asked.

"What happened to you? You just suddenly fell into a trance after whatever we saw ended. What was it you saw?" The chunin inquired.

"Nothing more than what you saw. It's just that… the woman Akane… was my kaasan." He said, lowering his gaze to the floor, remembering his mother all too well.

The other two were shocked by this news. "WHAT? Your kaasan?" They were practically shouting, until they noticed the glazed look on his eyes. It was a look Naruto knew all too well. It told him that Masaru's mother was no longer of this world, and he instinctively knew to keep his mouth shut. It wasn't a subject to bring up now.

A few minutes of silence passed between everyone before Masaru collected his thoughts about him. "So we know that was your kaasan, but who was the busty girl." Naruto asked.

Shikamaru chuckled at his stupidity, which got him a glare. He decided to elaborate. "Can you be that dense, Naruto? That was your kaasan!"

This explanation caused Naruto's eyes to widen. "My-My kaasan? H-How?" He stuttered.

"Geez, it's too troublesome to give explanations, but I'll explain. Masaru previously said that your mothers were sisters, and there were two people in that memory. He already confirmed that Kuchina was his kaasan, so that couldn't be your mother. Since this realm holds the memories of YOUR ancestors, the memory had to come from the other woman, your kaasan. Get it?" Shikamaru explained, before uttering a 'troublesome' at the end.

"I get it now!" Naruto said, slamming his right fist into his left palm. Masaru only rolled his eyes. They were getting nowhere at this pace.

"As you could tell, that was a memory of your mother. That looked to be when she learned that my mom was pregnant… with me." He said the last part quietly, but Naruto and Shikamaru were able to hear it all the same.

Shikamaru's curiosity got the better of him at this point. "What happened to her, Masaru-san? You've spoken about her in the past tense. What is it?" Naruto looked at Shikamaru, hoping he didn't just say that.

Masaru spun around to look at Shikamaru, and the six-armed boy admitted to himself that the only thing that has ever made him this scared before was when his mother had asked him to clean all the bathrooms in the Nara clan grounds. By hand. He shuddered at the memory.

Masaru's gaze on him reflected many different emotions in them, and none of them were good. Among what he could feel were anger, hatred, sorrow, loss, and what was unmistakably killer intent. He didn't know what had sparked this kind of reaction in their friend, but he hoped he wouldn't become a target for Masaru's anger.

"She… was… MURDERED! In cold blood right before my very eyes!" His eyes softened a bit as he spoke again. "She was a completely innocent woman, loved by everyone. She did nothing to deserve the fate that had befallen her!" His killer intent then spiked up again. "I swore to myself that I would kill whoever it was that was responsible for death." Naruto was about to speak up against this. "Don't try to talk me out of this, Naruto. My mind was made up a long time ago."

He calmed down considerably after this. "I know that in a way, I'm like your friend Sasuke, focused on revenge. But, if you recall, I don't try to focus solely on gaining power. That story I told you about how I met Tsunade changed me from being that way. But I know that my desire for revenge still lingers in my heart, resting, waiting. It won't vanish until I've killed whoever killed my mother." Looking on at the two boys, he continued before they could complain. " I know you think that it seems pointless for me to go after some nameless killer, but as I said, my minds made up. End of discussion."

Naruto looked as though he would speak up again, but then immediately silenced himself. He was at least able to tell by the look on Masaru's face that he wasn't going to be convinced otherwise of the path he has chosen. "I guess I'll go with that, but I still don't like it!"

Masaru chuckled. "I don't expect you to. Now I believe we have to find out the identity of your father, correct? Well, that is why I brought you here. A lot of your father's memories are stored here. We just need to find them." He coaxed him to look at their surroundings.

Looking around, Naruto and Shikamaru saw they were in a gigantic hallway. It was pretty elaborate, as though it was part of feudal lord's mansion. There were paintings hung up on the wall, which would indicate the leaders of the palace, except these ones were completely blank. Elegant plants lined the sides of the hallway; each one neatly trimmed by what appeared to be master gardeners. Doors as far as the eye could see lined the path, each of them holding the same extravagance as everything else.

"Okay. All you need to do is simple. Look through doors until you find something useful. Okay?" Seeing them nodded, he went on. "Now move out!" He commanded. Immediately, they all went searching through doors. So far, it looked as though that none of them were making any progress, since all they were able to find so far were memories of Naruto's ancestors from centuries ago. No use to them at all.

Shikamaru then found the next room that contained a memory. After looking through that one particular door, Shikamaru immediately slammed it shut afterwards, blushing profusely. Naruto and Masaru didn't ask him what he might have seen, but didn't need to. The blush on his face was proof enough of what he saw. There was also the fact they heard the distinctive voices of their mothers, along with mention of the word 'breasts' coming from one of them. They only came to one conclusion. He was going to have hell to pay if they ever had a sparring match with each other.

After getting over that initial shock, a door was opened with some interesting information.

His vision was blurry. His body ached all over. He felt that his chakra was almost drained completely. A young man has finally started to awaken after a long and grueling battle.

* * *

_This young man, no older than thirteen years old, wore a short-sleeved shirt that was all black, except for a shade of forest green on the sleeves. He had on the traditional black pants that shinobi wore, as well as the sandals. A pair of gauntlets rested on his arms, obviously to protect his arms from attacks. His gray hair was a mess and sticking up in a number of places, and he had on a mask that concealed the lower portion of his face. His eyes were most interesting. His right eye was gray like his hair, but his left eye was red with two tomoes… the sign of the Sharingan. This person could only be Kakashi Hatake._

"_Hmm, so you're awake." A voice spoke to him. He looked on to see his sensei. He wore the standard Jonin vest, outfit, and headband. The only thing that stood out about him was that he possessed a tuft of blonde hair, and piercing bright blue eyes._

_Kakashi stood straight up upon hearing the voice, and immediately began to question him. "Sensei! How?"_

_The older man was willing to oblige his protégé, and showed him a kunai that had three prongs on it. "The mark on the kunai is a special jutsu tag that alerts me when it is thrown." Explained his sensei about the kunai._

"_So then the enemies…" Kakashi stated. His sensei decided to finish his statement. "I defeated them all."_

_Kakashi's eyes widened for a moment. "What about Rin?! What happened to Rin?!"_

_The older man had a grim look on his face before nonchalantly point off to a figure in the distance, that was too far away to make out clearly, though Kakashi clearly knew who it was. "I'm sorry I wasn't in time, Kakashi. I heard it all from Rin."_

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei! What is he doing in here?" Naruto asked in disbelief. No way could he believe that Kakashi was in any way connected to his father. 

Shikamaru was quietly thinking about this, in his so-called 'thinking pose,' before he came up with any real answers. "Well, considering what we know, there were only three people present in that memory. Kakashi-sensei, that girl Rin, and the Fourth Hokage." Naruto's eyes widened at this, but Shikamaru continued before he could speak. "Since we already learned the identity of your mother, it couldn't be a memory from that girl Rin, so that leaves only two candidates. Your father is either Kakashi or the Fourth."

"Shikamaru, I think it seems more likely than not that, in fact, the Fourth Hokage, is in fact, his father. Even if I didn't already suspect it, I don't think Kakashi is the kind of person to have a wife, since if I got my timeline right, he would've only been fourteen when the Kyuubi attacked." Masaru explained.

Naruto's mind had gone into overload by the time they were finished speaking. His father was the Fourth Hokage? The person that was considered the greatest shinobi of all time? The man he idolized above all others? The man who had sealed the Kyuubi within his body. He was his father? It was too impossible to really be true.

Yet, an often-dormant part of Naruto's brain began to kick in: the part of him that actually thinks. His initial reaction was hatred for his father, since he placed this burden on him. A burden as heavy as the one he has been carrying with him all his life should not be placed on anyone by anyone. Especially not by his own father.

Yet the thinking part of his brain was telling him that at the time, he probably didn't have any real choice in the matter. There couldn't have been any other freshly born children at the time that would've work for the sealing. He had hoped with all his heart this wasn't the case, but he figured if he was anything like his father, he would've done the same thing as him.

"Naruto?" A voice called out to him, and noticed Masaru was looking at him with a concerned look on his eyes. "I hope it isn't too big of a shock to learn that he was your father, but you see…" He said before Naruto cut him off.

"It's okay. I realize that my father only did the right thing for this village. He couldn't have placed my burden on anyone else." Masaru smiled. He was glad he wasn't too upset.

"Listen, Naruto. I can guess that your want to know your father's name, correct?" Naruto nods at this. "Well, when I was looking in the archives, it didn't explicitly say he was the Hokage, but his name was Minato Namikaze. Though I didn't look up anything else about him. I was in too much shock to do that myself." Masaru apologized.

Naruto laughed. "I guess I can understand. But how did you have any idea he was my father?"

Masaru, at this unexpected question, looked pretty embarrassed. "Well… you see, I kinda thought it possible ever since you told me you mastered the Rasengan in a month."

"WHAT?! You knew all this time and didn't tell me?" Naruto was shouting, and Masaru was waving his hands in front of him, hoping to ward off Naruto.

"Well, I'll tell you if you calm down, okay?" Naruto saw his uneasiness, and relaxed, causing the older boy to sigh in relief.

"Thanks for calming down. Anyway, we touched up on the idea earlier when I was telling you about the mental defenses guarding this region of the mind." He turned his head to Shikamaru. "You best be listening closely, Shikamaru, since I'm answering your earlier question now."

"Anyway, I said that consciously, they can only be breached with the Kannyugan. However, there is still the unconscious mind, a part of our mind we can tap in times of extraordinary stress. The strength drawn from there easily allows a person to tap into the memories of their ancestors should the situation require it. But because we aren't consciously aware of what is going on, we never realize we are calling on the memories, and just bring them in as our own, changing the content of those memories to match the modern situations."

Masaru then turned his head back to Naruto. "Naruto, you had said you learned the Rasengan in a month, something that neither Minato nor Jiraiya has been able to do. However, you did have one edge in learning the jutsu that neither of the had." He paused at this moment, letting Naruto figure it out on his own.

He realized what Masaru was getting at pretty quickly. "I had my father's memories of creating the jutsu, so I was pulling on them. Learning how to mold the chakra I needed in order to do it as fast as I did."

"You catch on pretty quickly, Naruto. I wouldn't be surprised, if you, Shikamaru, had done this at some point in your life, by building up from the memories of your ancestors, to learn your clans jutsus." Masaru elaborated. Shikamaru nodded, probably thinking about how quickly he picked on the Shadow Possession Jutsu and Shadow Strangle Jutsu.

Masaru suddenly jerked forward, alarming both Naruto and Shikamaru. They rushed forward to grab them, when a circle of light emanated from around his body. Their reflexes were too slow, so they were unable to stop themselves from falling into the light.

* * *

When the three of them came to, they took a look at their surroundings, and saw that they were back at he Enjin family complex. Naruto and Shikamaru, looked a little worse for wear. Considering the condition he was in, they guessed he used up nearly all of his chakra. Though it isn't really a surprise considering he kept his jutsu running for so long. 

"You okay, Masaru-san?" Asked Shikamaru. Although he knew what the problem, he knew it was the polite thing to do by asking.

"I'll be fine." He said as he was breathing heavily. "I… just need this." After he spoke those words, he took out a soldier pill, and ingested it. After a moment, he sprung up to his feet, not quite good as new, but close enough." I feel better now." He said looking at Shikamaru. His gaze turned to Naruto, and let out a gasp. Shikamaru was puzzled, so he looked at Naruto as well, and had the same exact reaction.

"What? What is it you guys?" Naruto asked, completely oblivious to the change that has occurred…

... For staring them in the face was the Kannyugan.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hope you all enjoyed the newest chapter. To be honest, I didn't expect to get this out as quickly as I did. But with the revelation in the newest manga chapter regarding Naruto's lineage, I felt inspired to get this chapter out, with the small corrections I made to the names of Naruto's parents.

On a sidenote, don't expect the next chapter to be out for several weeks. There are things I need to take care of in preparation for the new school semester, and it will eat away at alot of my time, so I won't have a lot of time to write up the next chapter.

I'm sure some of you might have noticed this near the beginning of the chapter, but yes, the speech that Masaru gave regarding memory and evolution is the same speech that Garland gave near the end of Final Fantasy IX (one of my favorite games of all time). I thought it was an good concept at the time, and sought a way to use it in my story. It was just tweaked a little so that I could use it alongside the Kannyugan.

**New Jutsus**

Kannyugan Second Level- This technique is the second level of the Kannyugan bloodline, denoted by two rings in the eyes, as opposed to one. At this level, a person is able to enter another person's mind, and see everything that might be concealed within. A person is still capable of casting jutsus while they are traveling this way, and will expend chakra to use them as normal, even though they aren't in their corporeal bodies. Another feature that is present with this level is that the user and anyone that accompanies him will be capable of seeing the memories of the ancestor's of the mind their in. This, however, is only limited to the memories they have up until the point of conception in their mother's womb.

Next Time: Missions And Reflections

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	23. Missions And Reflections

Chapter 22- Missions and Reflections

"Come on! Tell me, you guys!" Naruto whined, upset that they were being silent. He had no idea why they were staring at him like that.

Masaru sighed, and pulled out a kunai, checking its surface to see if it was reflective enough to meet his needs, since kunai are rarely in a condition to be useful in that aspect. He then thrust the surface of the kunai to Naruto, with the side facing him. "Look into this Naruto."

He nearly flinched when the kunai was coming at him, but saw the pointy end wasn't about to hit him. He slowly reached out to grab the weapon, and looked into the surface of the blade, where he could see his eyes. His Kannyugan eyes.

Naturally, he was startled by this. "H-How did this happen?" He was kind of freaked out by this sudden development, but the rest of him was excited. He finally had the same eyes as this cousin. This was gonna rock so much!

Masaru shrugged. "Not sure how it happened. My kaasan never really told me how the Kannyugan is awakened in an individual, and I get the feeling that see didn't know herself what causes it. Just be happy you have it."

"Woohoo! This is as AWESOME! I can't wait to show everyone my new eyes!" He would've cheered on, except he was silenced by Masaru.

"Naruto!" He yelled. "I know you're excited about having the Kannyugan, but don't go off thinking that it's some children's toy. Since you have it, you need to learn how to use it. If you don't learn how to control your own power, you could end up destroying your eyes. I'd suggest cutting off the flow of chakra to your eyes now, so you don't do anything you'd regret."

Naruto understood what Masaru was saying, and began to feel out the chakra that was now flowing towards his eyes. It was a very simple process, almost as simple as flipping a light switch. It took him scarcely three seconds before he cut off the chakra flow. He then looked to Masaru, who nodded to him.

"Good, Naruto, though I have to give you a warning." He suddenly became more serious. "One more thing, Naruto. Don't just go run around showing your power off to everyone. The Kannyugan is meant to be a subtle thing, not broadcast to the whole world. If people truly know you possess it, they might keep away from you more than before, since you now possess the ability to read their thoughts."

Naruto took in his warning with great care. He hadn't realized the responsibilities that would come with these eyes. He thought about it, and realized that if a person knew he was able to read minds, someone that wasn't one of his friends, that person would spread the word of what he could do to everyone else, then people might outright fear him. This might give the council the necessary incentive to get him executed, although he himself was unaware of this little fact. So he let Masaru know he understood him.

Then he asked another question that was on his mind. "So… are we gonna live here now? It's a pretty sweet place." The two others face faulted, completely thrown off by the sudden change in subject.

It took Masaru a moment to answer. "Not yet, Naruto. I admit that even I would like to move in here, but it's not exactly a suitable living place at the moment. The level of decay present here just wouldn't make it a suitable living place." Naruto was pouting by this point. "The only other issue to bring up is that we need to verify with Tsunade-chan that this is our clan residence, ant then there will be legal processes to go through before we can move in. For now, we just live where we have been. Once we've got some money set up, we can begin, funding repairs for this places." Naruto didn't seem to like this one bit. "At least the one thing is that no one will be able to rob from this place when we don't want them, since once I teach you how, only you and me will be able to unlock the gate."

"One last thing, Naruto. That scroll you found, let me see it once you've gotten it unsealed by Jiraiya." "_I've got a bad feeling about that scroll, if it was defended in such a way._" He thought to himself. He smiled when Naruto nodded.

He then turned his head to Shikamaru. "I don't know about you, but it would probably be wise to keep a transformation up for the moment. I don't think six arms will go over to well with the populace, until we can find a good reason as to why it happened in the first place that doesn't involve coming onto these grounds."

"I see what you mean. This place has been sealed away for years, so if it gets out that people have entered this place, it'll be extremely troublesome." Masaru nodded at Shikamaru's reasoning.

"Anyway, we probably should get going, since there isn't really much else we can do right now." Shikamaru noted, before performing the transformation jutsu to look like himself, only without the additional arms or ripped clothes.

"Right." Masaru added, before quickly activating the Kannyugan on the gate. He noted earlier as he entered the grounds that after they had passed through the gate and closed it behind them, that it had locked itself again. He could only assume that it was meant that you needed a family escort to enter or exit the grounds.

A few minutes after they had left the complex, which thankfully no one saw them enter or exit, an ANBU member suddenly appeared in front of the group. His eyes, concealed by his mask, gazed upon the three members of the party, before stopping on the tallest of the three.

"Masaru Kokaku?" The ANBU asked inquisitively.

"That is I. Is there something I can help you with, ANBU-san?" Masaru asked, making sure to show some level of respect to him.

"Hokage-sama is requesting your presence in her office. You will be expected to be there as soon as possible." The ANBU said in a monotone voice. Then the ANBU left just as stealthily as he had appeared.

"Guess I'll see you guys a little later, OK?" They all said there goodbyes, and Masaru was wondering why Tsunade had wanted him.

* * *

Since his destination was in the same overall area as where he was coming from, it only took him about five minutes before her office came into view. After entering the lobby, he made his way up to the office, with the two chunin guards standing in front of the door. They nodded to him, allowing him to enter. Privately he wondered why it was chunins that were assigned the role of guarding the Hokage, but didn't have time to really think it over once he entered her office. 

Tsunade was sitting at her desk, looking intently at him. He was a bit surprised she wasn't asleep at the desk. But he had the feeling she was being particularly observant of her surroundings. It made sense in a way, since as the Hokage, she needed to be aware of everything going on around her.

That included the company she had with her.

Standing off to the side, was Shizune, in her usual attire, with a few papers resting under her arms, no doubt needing to get some files done of a recent mission report. She looked at him with a smile on her face before she took the papers to a nearby cabinet. At least they were still on good terms with each other, despite the fact they needed to fight each other in a serious battle. He flinched slightly at that memory.

The other person present in the room he didn't know personally, but he had the stories of the man. The person that had been revered as one of the Sannin, alongside, and the man who had trained Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. He was also the person who had written the book that was a popular hit with half of the population in all the five great nations, and several smaller nations, as well. He was none other than Jiraiya, the Toad Hermit. The fact he made his presence here was a bit curious.

He turned his attention back to Tsunade. "You requested me here, Tsunade-chan?" He said casually. It did have one fortunate (or not so fortunate) reaction.

The pervert grinned lecherously to Tsunade. "Hehe. Tsunade-_chan_!" He said, adding emphasis on the –chan. "I didn't know that you liked-" He never got to finish that statement as a sudden fist slammed into his face, and sent him hurtling into the nearby wall. The scariest part of it all was that Tsunade didn't even turn to face him when she punched him, and her face remained perfectly calm throughout. Though Masaru could see a vein throbbing on her forehead.

With that resolved, she let out a smirk. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

He only let out a shrug. "I thought it would be good for a laugh. I knew you hated perverts, and he's an open pervert, so he just needed to provoked. Worked like a charm, I must say."

Tsunade let out a mild laugh. "Well, I suppose everyone needs a good laugh once in a while, but it isn't the reason I called you here."

His expression then changed to match hers. "So, why is it you needed to see me? It is my time off, and the law requires that I take two days off from any missions." He stated, reciting the law of the Second Hokage.

"I know, but I have come to give you an advance notice in a mission you will be leading the day after tomorrow." She informed him.

"What rank is the mission?" He asked.

"The mission is an A-Ranked mission." She replied firmly.

"That's a big step up from what I've been doing. Are you sure I'm the person for the job?" He inquired.

"Your objective lies at a mine shaft near the southern edge of the Earth Country. The daimyo of the Fire Country has requested that we send a team out there to plunder the valuable resources of that mine." She explained.

"I don't get it. Why do we need to raid a mine? It doesn't really make much sense to me."

She sighed before continuing. "According to the reports we received, they recently uncovered a deposit of a metal called aquasteel. I don't really know what the value of this metal is, but I have a feeling that it could be used against us in the worst way."

"I don't really know much about it myself, though I heard rumors that it held some special connection to water." His mind was connecting together the dots on this. "Did you ever send a message to the daimyo about the raids the Mist Village performed in the smaller countries." He saw her nod, and her eye widen. "I think you realize what he realized."

"That we need to get the aquasteel before they do." She noticed.

"Yes. Though, why was I chosen to lead this mission." He asked, still not getting her reasoning.

"Simple. You were a traveler, and have been acquainted with various different locales. And you have pointed out to me you love of exploring ruins. There is a lot of ruins not to far off from that general area, so I would think you know your way around that area." He simply nodded.

"I also suppose that you would be able to get around the area avoiding detection, since someone of your skills would invariably alert the shinobi the Stone Village and Sand Village have patrolling the general vicinity." He nods again at this. "It's simply a matter of helping a few more people avoid detection"

Masaru groaned. True, he knew how to avoid detection from some skilled shinobi, but his ability to help others do the same is entirely based on how well _they_ are able to conceal themselves. It so far looked to be a real problem.

"Who's going to be on my team?" Masaru asked, trying to gauge the difficulty of this mission, depending on who he would be working with.

"Your teammates will consist of Ino Yamanaka, Sai, and Rock Lee. Is there any problems." Tsunade asked, watching him carefully.

He didn't react too much to the second and third choices for teammates, but he flinched at the first one. Ino. He knew he didn't get along with her well, and now he was made to work on a team. This mission could turn out to be a real disaster if they didn't get along. The mission required stealth, which couldn't be achieved if they were bickering with each other.

His mind drifted elsewhere, when he asked himself an important question. "_Why is it that I suddenly held such a strong dislike of her the moment I met her?_" He reflected back to when he was in the hospital, and hearing her last name had caused a repulsive reaction within himself. "_Does it have something to do with her family? I'll need to look into this. It doesn't seem right that I don't like her for no reason._"

"Any questions, Masaru?" He blinked and realized he was still in the Hokage's office. He shook his head. "Good, then you will be expected to leave the day after tomorrow around noon."

"Thank you, Tsunade-chan." He then remembered something. "Jiraiya. It is nice meeting you. I'm sure Tsunade told you about me, correct."

The toad sannin, now recovered from his encounter with Tsunade's fist, looked at him for a bit, before his mind clicked. "Yeah, she's mentioned you to me a couple of times before, Masaru. The only person she was ever really open with aside from Shizune before she came back to the village."

"Correct. I'll let her tell you some more things in her free time. I've got a bit on my mind on the moment." Masaru said, and he turned to leave, but not before catching Jiraiya's attention one more time.

"Jiraiya, your student, Naruto will be looking for you soon enough, asking you for help with something. You should probably go and help him with it, because as far as we're concerned, you're the only one who can help him."

"What does he need help with? I finished his training a couple of months ago, so what else is there." Jiraiya asked.

"You'll see." And with that Masaru left the Hokage's office.

* * *

Neji Hyuga was having a very rotten day. And even that would be the understatement of the century. He was absolutely miserable. If it wasn't for the fact that he still had goals in life, he probably would've seriously contemplated suicide. 

The day started off with him being made to take up an annoying D-ranked mission. This annoyed him to know end. He was a jonin, god dammit, and he was being made to take on missions made for genin! It was a time like this he wished that he could have a genin team, that way they would do it in place of him, yet as it is, he's not old enough for such a thing. And though Hokage-sama's reasoning, it still irked him to no end.

Then after the mission, he had training to do with his day. Normally, this wouldn't be so much of a problem, since he normally trained with Tenten, while Gai-sensei would train with Lee. However, after some circumstances that occurred recently, something she wouldn't elaborate on just yet, Tenten had decided to change her wardrobe. Often this wouldn't affect him, since he has seen her wearing several outfits over the years. But this outfit was just… distracting.

The outfit she was now wearing was making it difficult for him to focus on their sparring sessions. He couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with him, but he knew it was something big. It was something just bordering on the edge of his mind, yet he wasn't able to give a name to it.

One other aspect of Tenten that was bothering him was how he had acted around her recently, even before her wardrobe change. Each time he saw her, he couldn't peel his eyes off her. He liked the way she had looked. Her face, her smile, it just made him feel slightly queasy, but in a good way.

It also silently tore him up inside when he saw her getting hurt when they were out on missions. He was able to hold some level of concern for his teammate, but deep down seeing her the way she was hurt him more than if he had been hurt himself.

He had gotten to the point in his thought process that he had the unnatural urge to protect her from anyone that would try to hurt her. He wanted to see her smile, to not be in pain. It was what he wanted above all else in the world. He knew that he would give his life for her if it meant to keep her happy and safe.

The same uncontrollable urges manifested themselves in him after she revealed her new outfit, except they seemed to magnify several times over. He sudden felt a strong desire to be as close to her as possible, to hold her in his arms, to keep her warm, to keep her happy, to keep her safe. Yet, the portion of his mind that was focused on training had taken precedence, and he didn't make any comments about it. But his focus was divided as he watched her move.

Since he had such a hard time focusing on Tenten, he went over to training to Lee, as impossible as it seemed. That turned out to be a horrible mistake on his part. He don't know _how_ it happened, but he somehow ended up taking part in Lee's 'training session.' That alone was a cause for alarm in his mind, since he knew there was no way he would be able to get out of anything Lee ends up starting.

In the end, he was battered and bruised all over, coupled along with near complete chakra depletion. His left arm was numb, so he couldn't really perform any hand signs at the moment. He was sure that he had broken at least a couple of ribs in their 'training session', so he was taking it slow for the moment. Hopefully nothing else would happen today. He didn't think he'd have the strength to deal with them.

It was a shame that trouble also shows up when you don't want it to.

Just as he was nearing the nearest street corner he felt it. The distinct use of chakra. It was subtle, but he was able to tell that someone was utilizing a transformation jutsu. It was basic academy level knowledge that if a jutsu was being utilized, it left a particular 'feel' in the air, telling a person with enough knowledge what jutsu was being utilized. However, while knowing about it is academy level, being able to detect it right up at jonin level, and even then only when it is very close by.

His thoughts began to race as he began to ponder what was going on. "_Is this a spy? Is this person going to steal some important documents, or just gather information? Neither scenario is pretty, and no one else is around at the moment. Looks like it's up to me._"

He shook his left arm, trying to get some feeling into it again, before going through the hand signs for his signature bloodline. "Byakugan!" He whispered loudly, before veins bulged around his eyes, and his sight took on a new perspective. With his near 360-degree field of vision, he began searching for the person that set off his senses.

It didn't take him long before he found the person he was looking for. The person was just around the block from where he was right now. His chakra was flowing quickly, indicating a jutsu was currently active. But what alarmed him was not the jutsu, or his flow of chakra. With his Byakugan active, he saw through the illusion set up, but he saw that the person had six arms.

His mind was beginning to freak out, since the last time he had seen this person, he was locked in mortal combat in the northern forests of Fire Country. Kidomaru. One of Orochimaru's elite bodyguards. The guardian of the East gate of the Sound Village, as well as one of the ones that Orochimaru had branded with his cursed seal. He doesn't know how it happened, but he was positive he had killed his opponent that day.

"_Looks like I'm going to have to take care of him now._" He thought to himself as he dashed forward silently, ready to kill the spider freak that had somehow risen from the dead. His palm was overloaded with chakra as he lunged his arm forward to launch a Jyuken strike at his heart.

His opponent must've improved over the years somehow, because he sensed his intentions, and managed to get out of the way in time, but Neji was quickly able to focus his chakra into a spike between his middle and index fingers. His laser-like precision, he was able to jab the spike into the tenketsu in his shoulder, closing it and causing his arm to go limp. Halting the flow of chakra so abruptly also caused the transformation to drop as well.

Neji's eyes went wide when he realized who he had just attacked.

"Neji! Why did you have to be so troublesome and attack me?" Shikamaru asked, while getting up from the ground. Even though his arm was completely useless at the moment, he was able to get up using his other arms.

The Hyuga jonin at the moment was currently lost in his own thought processes. He had just attacked one of his own fellow shinobi without a second thought, just because of some paranoia of the idea that a person that should be dead had come back to life. Once his rational mind began to think clearly, he took a good look at his companion… only to see a set of six arms sticking out of his sides.

"What happened to you, Shikamaru?" Neji asked, trying to regain his composure.

Shikamaru knew he was asking about the arms, but he couldn't say anything about the closed off complex; not at least until Masaru was ready to reveal the truth. So he had to lie. "This was the side effect of a jutsu I was trying to create. I messed up somewhere in the process, and ended up with these arms. I don't really think the effect is reversible, so for now, I just wanted to keep up a disguise of myself until I could figure out an easy way to bring this out."

Neji frowned at the reasoning. There was something he was keeping hidden in his tale. He still had his Byakugan active, so he was able to pick up the subtleties in his behavior that no other person would be able to detect. It showed him he was clearly lying, yet he decided not to push it. He'd ask him about it when he felt like talking. Yet right now, he didn't want to push himself any further than he should. He was quickly approaching zero chakra, and needed to rest.

"Okay, Shikamaru. I speak to you later about this. As of now, I'm tired, and need to rest. So, I shall speak to you later." And the two went their separate ways. Shikamaru remembered to put the illusion up again. Thankfully, no one was around at the time of their brief scuffle, so no one saw his changes.

* * *

Masaru was in a deep meditative state, reflecting on all that has occurred in this day. To start off, he had learned the truth of his heritage, as one of the Enjin clan. From what little he knew of how clans operated, since he is older than his cousin, Naruto, he is technically the heir apparent of the once prosperous clan. 

The situation was quite precarious in his opinion. Even though he's the heir, at the moment it's not official, since his claim needs to be recognized by the village. The only thing that could really validate his claim is the Kannyugan, but he was concerned about how the village would react to this news. For an 'outsider' to possess such a bloodline trait that was honored throughout the village would be considered a stain on their greatness. Even if he did come forth that he was born in the village, no one would end up looking at him any differently.

Naruto, another wild card in the equation. With the revelation that he was also his family, and fellow possessor of the Kannyugan, brought a smile to his face. Now he had someone that he could truly call family. He did develop a sort of familial connection with Tsunade and Shizune, but he wasn't blood-related to either of them.

He frowned when he thought about Naruto's position in the village, as well as his own. They were both considered outcasts by the village, Naruto for holding the Kyuubi, and Masaru being an outsider. Yet they both are the last living remnants of a once proud clan. For the name of the Enjin to be 'tainted' by the 'demon brat' and the 'outsider' isn't a pretty picture at all, and might consider assaulting them if they were seen. True, he could easily fend off obnoxious villagers, but it wouldn't look good in the eyes of the village.

He then looked to possible outcomes surrounding revealing the truth. In worst-case scenarios, they'd be dead. In the better cases, the one thing that stood out in his mind was the fact that he'd inevitably have to get married at some point in order to carry on the bloodline. This probably wouldn't hurt Naruto too much. If he wasn't so dense, he'd have the perfect wife in Hinata. If his heritage was realized, then no one could object to the marriage, since both would be considered nobles. The only thing that would need to occur first would have to be that Hinata confesses her feelings, and Naruto would have to reciprocate them. Judging from Naruto's personality, he wouldn't end up marrying anyone unless he loved them with all his heart. He felt that Naruto did have some deep-seated feelings for the lavender-eyed girl, but he would need to realize them first.

Perhaps he should he should find a way for them to spend sometime in the near future.

His concerns didn't dwell to long on Naruto's plight, since his own seemed more daunting. As the heir, he would be expected to marry to produce an heir that would lead the clan in the future. His eventual marriage was more realistic and important than Naruto's. However, his opinion of marriage ran rather closely to Naruto's own. He wouldn't marry anyone he didn't love. He couldn't hurt anyone like that. Yet he knew that at some point he might be forced to marry if he didn't make his own decisions, which was a bad case.

He decided to hold off on thinking about that since he more immediate concerns plaguing him. The first of his concerns was Naruto's training. Since the Kannyugan has awakened in his cousin, it would be up to him to train him in how to utilize it's full potential, a prospect he wasn't used to. He's never been a sensei to anyone before, and didn't know how to be one either. He knew the only thing he could do is do the best he could. Because he knew the truth.

If Naruto didn't learn to properly control the Kannyugan, he would very easily lose his eyesight permanently. His mother had given him the same warning once long ago. It wasn't a pretty picture to suddenly lose you eyesight because you couldn't control your own eyes. He'd have to remember to give that same warning himself, and perhaps give him the same training his mother had given him. It looked to be the best option available.

His other concern was regarding the upcoming mission. He was already on good terms with Sai and Lee, but he still plenty of problems present between him and Ino. It wouldn't do for the two of them to be distracted by their own problems when a life or death situation would be around them. He'd need to do two things at some point pretty quickly before the mission starts. One, he needed to learn more about the Yamanaka family, since the initial problems he held revolved around her family more than her. Secondly, he'd need to apologize to her about his behavior. Not a very pretty prospect.

His musing's were cut short when he felt a presence behind him.

"Hello, Masaru-san." A voice had called out to him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, after a while, I finally managed to get the new chapter out. Sorry for taking so long to get it out, but I haven't exactly had a lot of time or motivation to really get this chapter out. I hope you all like it. (Expect similar treatment for future chapters, until I can get back into the swing of things.)

The prospects for Masaru's mission I'll admit do seem kind of out of place, but it's only these minor details that help me to create the setup for the rest of the story. Expect some important story events to occur when Masaru goes out on the mission.

I also want to thank DragonMan180 for the idea of the Neji/Shikamaru scene. It was a way for me to deviate the attention over to other characters, and add a small touch of humor, but it also allowed me a chance to set up a NejiTen pairing into the story, so thanks!

Next time: Chapter 23- Ekitaikinzoku

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	24. Ekitaikinzoku

Chapter 23- Ekitaikinzoku

Masaru broke out of his meditative state as he heard the familiar voice call out to him. With a smile, he turned to look at the newcomer in the clearing. He saw his good friend Tenten approaching him with a smile on her face matching his own.

A few weeks ago, Lee had introduced Masaru to Tenten as he was sitting in on one of their training sessions. Lee had recounted to him that she was considered a prodigy with weapons of any kind, especially projectile weapons. Upon hearing this, he had managed to convince her to help him train in his throwing weapons, since he had sheepishly admitted that he performed rather poorly in that department.

It took her a moment after that, but she agreed with him, but only on the condition that he assist her with her kenjutsu training. In all of the weapons areas she had trained in, she made the least progress in using a sword. So it was a fair tradeoff for the two, each one working to improve the other through their individual strengths.

This training was already known to Gai-sensei, Lee, and Neji, and it didn't seem to bother them too much. He figured that if it made her stronger, than they wouldn't mind in the least.

Masaru got a good look at his friend, and saw the change that had been made to her wardrobe. She was currently wearing a simple red battle kimono, with a white belt to fasten the waist together. A marking, like something you would expect on a scroll, was placed over left breast, with the kanji for 'swap' written there. Other than the kimono and marking, she still looked the same. Her hair was still fastened up into two buns, her forehead protector still where it always was, and still carrying an enormous scroll on her back, which held her vast arsenal of weapons.

"I see you finally managed to finish working on that outfit. Lord knows it took you nearly forever to get it right." He replied sarcastically. Tenten only glared at him.

"Come on, you know it wasn't easy to get right. The kimono itself was easy to find, but to be able to make it so that I could store it and my enormous scroll at the same time was no easy feat. It required at least jonin level chakra control to make the necessary seals for the storage scroll." Masaru winced at the tone in her voice during her explanation.

"Sorry. But I think it's a good thing you finally got it down. So, when did you get it finished?" He asked curiously.

"I just finished it today. I had gotten close to finishing it last night, and it just took a few hours today after training to get it down right." She replied cheerfully.

"Well, anyway. I'm glad you managed to get it down. I know you wanted to keep your other outfit concealed at all times unless you needed to otherwise. Your outfit now just helps to serve that purpose." He said, with a smile.

"I know. That outfit, though helpful, would make me feel weird if anyone really saw it." She groaned.

"I guess that your teammates have seen the other outfit then?" Seeing her nod, he grimaced. "You probably should explain to them about your bloodline limit. They already saw you wardrobe change once. They'll be really suspicious with the sudden change again, and might look down on the fact you keep changing outfits."

Seeing her head in her hands, he tried to approach the situation. "I know that you haven't mentioned the bloodline to anyone yet, but I think that it should come out in the open."

He knew her situation wasn't a very pretty one, but recently, in one of their sparring sessions, she had managed to unlock a bloodline limit they never knew she had. From their observations, she was capable of channeling her chakra into her sweat pores. From there, she was able to excrete a liquid metallic substance, which she was then able to control at will. Whether to drown the enemy in the substance, or to solidify it into a weapon she could then wield.

After some experimentation, she was capable of creating a various number of the weapons she was already adept at using, and discovered that the solidified weapons were actually much stronger and sharper than the weapons she held in her scrolls. What's more, was that it hardly took any effort on her part to 'sharpen' the weapons at all. He guessed with all the time she had spent over the years forging weapons, that the process would be second nature to her. Because of what was created from her bloodline, they had decided to name it 'Ekitaikinzoku.'

Sadly, one of the faults that came with the bloodline was that she didn't have anyone to teach her how to control her bloodline. Like himself, and Naruto, she was the last of her clan, and didn't have anyone for proper tutelage. She had said to him that her family died in a fire when she was eight years old, and has been an orphan since then. She was only able to get by in life by the weapons she made, until she had become a shinobi.

She had also told him that she was aware that her family possessed the bloodline trait, but no one in several generations was able to activate it. Masaru had taken a guess that the bloodline slowly dissipated over the generations, and slowly died off since the clan was not showing the trait. He told her to consider herself fortunate that she had such an ability. His thoughts then went back to the day they had first discovered her ability.

(Flashback)

"_Now, Masaru-san. This is the proper way you go about throwing a kunai." Tenten said, as she showed him the proper form a person should use for throwing kunai. "The way the arm is positioned, as well as the time at which you release are essential to hitting the target where you are aiming."_

_She demonstrated her lecture by getting into the proper stance, and threw the kunai with pinpoint accuracy, just like she always does. Masaru did likewise, but instead of hitting the bull's eye, he had hit the edge of the target._

_Tenten had let out a sigh. They had been working on this for a few days now, but he couldn't get kunai throwing down. "Masaru, are you sure you want to get down how to throw a kunai? I don't mean to ostracize you, but you'd probably be better off focusing on other weapons."_

"_You sure, Tenten-san? We've only been at it for a few days now." Masaru asked._

"_I know, but I can generally gauge a person's weapons potential after in this amount of time, and to be blunt, it sucks. But I guess you make up for it with your talents with shuriken." Tenten replied._

_Of course Masaru was more talented with shuriken. He prided himself in having skilled mathematical abilities, and was able to calculate the trajectory of a curving shuriken. It didn't really matter if he didn't throw it the proper way. He knew how much force to put into the spin to get it to turn just enough to reach his target. He also knew how to compensate for blowing winds that might potentially interfere with the flight path of his shuriken._

"_I guess you have a point there. We should probably just stick to some other weapons." Masaru said, dejectedly._

"_Well, we should probably move on to my kenjutsu training now." Tenten said, but she was cut off by Masaru._

"_Actually, Tenten-san. There is something else I'd like to see right now. I know you are good in weapons all around, but I haven't really seen how good you are with taijutsu. I would think a taijutsu spar would be good right now. I think you need to understand that you won't always be able to rely on your weapons, and that's when good taijutsu comes into play." Masaru said._

_It was now Tenten's turn to look dejected. "Well, I haven't had a lot of real practice in using any advanced taijutsu sets, so I don't think I can help too much there Masaru-san."_

"_Don't talk down about yourself, Tenten-san. Just because you haven't done something doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Who knows? Maybe you'll learn a few things. So about it?" He said, hoping to encourage the girl._

_Luckily, his words had the impact on her that he had hoped. She looked at him quizzically in the face, before a smile had graced her lips. He could tell his words hit home. "Sure!" She replied, before getting into the Academy taijutsu stance she knew._

_He frowned internally when he realized the extent of her taijutsu was only academy based. He activated his Kannyugan, and slid into his personal taijutsu stance. This earned a very quizzical look from Tenten._

"_What stance is that? I've never seen anyone use that kind of stance before." Tenten was bewildered at how such a stance could be of any use at all. From what she could tell, it looked like his offensive speed would be very slow compared to her own._

"_This stance is my own, so I wouldn't expect anyone else to know it. I don't think anyone else can truly master it either, since it requires something normal people don't have." Masaru answered._

"_And what's that?" Tenten asked. Her answer was a smirk, and a simple "Wait and find out."_

_With that Tenten had launched forward, hoping to get him off guard with a fast strike at his head while he was trying to make his move to attack. But as she neared him, his stance had shifted around, and he had been able to dodge the attack. She didn't know how he had done that, but she was determined to find out._

_Her split-second thoughts her stopped, when he launched a couple of quick jabs at her side, followed up with one in her abdomen. She was knocked breathless after that._

"_**How did he know to attack in those specific spots? I've never mentioned those vulnerable spots before to anyone.**__" She thought to herself, before launching herself at him. A sweeping kick managed to catch him off guard, and he was sent down to the ground. She followed up on her attack with a flip into the air, and bringing her foot down to his chest._

_Her attack never connected, as he was able to roll out of the way before it hit, and followed up with a sweeping kick of his own. He wasn't as luck at getting her down, for she was able to turn her self around in midair, and perform a handstand flip. She did this a couple of more times, to give her some more distance. She had to remind herself to not use her weapons._

_Their battle continued on like this for about two more hours, where they constantly attacked, and counterattacked each other. From what Masaru could tell, Tenten was all right with the taijutsu she was using. Her ability was roughly that of a high ranked genin, though. It was still better than what he had expected. But it was really hard to get an accurate read, since he was hardly a taijutsu expert, and his abilities relied mostly on reading the enemy's attacks, and forming counters based on what he gets from them. Of course, he was going easy on her, so she was able to at least get some hits._

_Tenten thoughts were marveling about how good he was in his taijutsu. Each of his moves were perfectly coordinated, and flowed into each other fluently, even though he had developed the style himself. The most unnerving thing to her was the fact at how well he was able to read into her every attack. Even some of her most complex combo moves he was able to read. HE didn't dodge all of them, and she was sure that he was going easy on her, though because he was technically a teacher at this point, she supposed that it would only be natural._

_She was also working up quite a sweat. This wouldn't happen in normal training sessions, but this session was far from normal by her standards, so she was quickly being worn out. She had wiped some sweat of her forehead, and it fell to the ground, where Masaru noticed something peculiar._

_He told her to stop, as he went to examine the sweat. But what he found wasn't sweat, but rather a rather solid metal!_

"_Tenten-san." He said, coaxing her to move from her position, to the spot right next to him. His eyes didn't move from what they were looking at, so she looked, and saw the metal on the ground._

"_I didn't know there were metal deposits here." She said. Masaru just shook his head._

"_No. This isn't a metal deposit. I saw where it came from. The sweat you wiped from your forehead had solidified into this substance." Masaru corrected, causing her eyes to widen._

"_I did this? But how?" She asked disbelievingly._

"_I haven't heard of any ninjutsu that does what has occurred. This kind of thing looks almost like the work of a bloodline limit. Did you know if your family possessed any bloodline limits?" Masaru asked curiously._

_Tenten pondered this for a moment, before a long buried memory returned to the surface. "Now that you mention it. I believe my obaachan once mentioned my family possessed a bloodline trait, but no one has managed to awaken it in many generations. It's been so long since it's been achieved, she said, that it was forgotten what it was, or what it did."_

"_Well, it looks like you're the first in many generations to achieve your bloodline limit." Masaru said._

"_YES! YES! This is so awesome! I can't wait to see what I can do!" Tenten was practically jumping with joy. From Masaru could tell, the only other time Tenten would be this excited was when it involved Tsunade in someway._

"_Calm down, Tenten-san. I think you should try to focus your attention on what you are capable of doing before you start jumping for joy." He chided._

_Tenten looked at him sheepishly. Before settling down on the ground. "Now Tenten-san, I may not know what cause you to use your bloodline, but I have a small idea. Try gathering a small amount of chakra near the surface of your skin in your palm."_

_Tenten, who didn't know what was going through his head, did as she was instructed. Nothing happened at first, but after a moment she felt it. It felt like something was trapped under her skin. It didn't sting her like she thought it would, but it felt very comforting._

_Masaru spoke up, breaking her concentration on what was in her hand. "Did you feel anything?" She nodded, and began to describe to him what she had felt._

_He took this in carefully. "I think you should try to do it again, but this time, when you feel it, try and push it out of your skin. We should be able to see the effects then."_

_Tenten tried it again. This time, instead of just doing as Masaru asked, she also tried to see if she could sense it faster. If her bloodline was to be an effective combat tool, she would have to be able to call it up almost instantaneously. Her efforts were successful; she sensed the object beneath her skin in only half the time. Remembering Masaru's instructions, she began to push it out of her skin. Like before, this didn't hurt at all. It instead left a slight tingly sensation, like water running is a small stream down your skin._

"_Tenten." Masaru said, snapping her from the feeling she was having. "Look at your palm."_

_Confused, she did as he said, and right there in her palm was a palm full of a liquid metal substance. She was amazed that her holding it just seemed so natural to her._

_At this point, Masaru took some of it into his own hand, and watched closely as it solidified into a very solid metal. His mind began working around this, and asked her to try channeling chakra to the metal he was holding. No sooner did it touch did the metal liquefy again._

"_Looks like we got some idea of how this works. Let's see what else it can do." Tenten excitedly said._

_As so they spent the next few hours working on the possibilities of the 'Ekitaikinzoku' as they dubbed it. They learned the metal brought up to the surface she was able to control completely at will. She had demonstrated this by having the metal dance in the air in various different shapes. She had also learned its effectiveness as a weapon, by creating a perfectly workable kunai from it. Once they learned what it was capable of, Tenten said they should stop, since she was running low on chakra._

_Masaru was reviewing all the information he had gathered observing her Ekitaikinzoku. No doubt it was a very useful ability, but at the moment, it was held back a bit._

"_Tenten-san." She looked at him questioningly. "From what I saw today, I think if you want to use your bloodline in combat scenarios, you should probably wear less clothing."_

_She simply screamed out. "PERVERT!" Before slamming him on the head with her fist. He immediately realized he used the wrong choice of words, and felt like an idiot for giving off such an assumption._

"_Sorry. Sorry, Tenten-san. I misspoke. I didn't mean to make it sound perverted, but I was looking to maximize the abilities of you bloodline." She looked embarrass for a moment, before looking at him intently. "As it is, there is a lot of potential in your bloodline, but is currently held back by your clothing." She began to glare at him. " I mean that the metal can be emitted not just from your hands, but from anywhere on your body. With your bloodline, your entire body is literally a weapon."_

_Her eyes went wide at the possibility of such implications, but then Masaru continued. "However, most of your clothing covers your body, and it makes your abilities slow to react. Not without accidentally attaching itself to your clothes, giving you less to work with, and needing to expend more chakra to get the appropriate amount, as well as slowing your movements down with the extra weight. There's also the possibility you could rip your clothes apart with the metal as well. I think you'd like to avoid that scenario at all costs, right?"_

_Tenten only nodded, embarrassed at the possibility of her clothes coming off in the middle of a battle. "I won't try to force any specific clothing on you. But you should try to experiment with less clothing on when you have the chance, learn the best spots on your body to utilize your bloodline ability, and then wear clothing that won't cover up those particular parts of your body. I'll leave those up to you. It's not really my place to get involved in training your bloodline to begin with."_

_She looked at him for a bit. "Well, I guess I can let you knowing about what I did with it off the hook, if you tell me about how you were able to read my moves, and what happened to your eyes."_

"_You saw that?" He asked, shocked she figured it out. "Well, I guess you would've eventually. I'll tell you what you need to know." And so Masaru began to tell her about the Kannyugan, and some of the capabilities it had as a weapon. Once he had finished explaining what he felt she should know, they realized it was nighttime. Deciding to call it a night, they had both said goodbye for the night, after reminding each other of the things they need to improve upon._

(End Flashback)

"I know I should tell people, but I'm not sure how people will react. If word of the bloodline gets out, then the major clans will all want to get their hands on me. And I don't want to go through that because…" Tenten was saying, before her words were cut off.

"Because you want to be with Neji." Tenten's face went a beet red, and she looked like a deer looking at the headlight of an incoming car. "You can't fool me, Tenten. Your feelings for Neji are all too obvious, even without the Kannyugan."

Tenten slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Am I really that obvious?" She asked.

"Well, if you want to be blunt. The situation is practically the same as Hinata's with Naruto." Tenten involuntarily let out a chuckle at the comparison. Then she let out a sigh as she looked up to the clouds. "I wonder how he feels about me."

Masaru could see the dreamy look on her face, before he decided to speak. "I'm not certain, since I haven't read his mind, but I think he has feelings for you, but he hasn't realized exactly what he feels for you."

"Maybe you're right. But I can't help but feel he thinks I'm a whore or something after the way he's seen me." Tenten said with a depressed look on her face.

"I don't think he thinks that way. He's known you for years. I don't think he would consider you a whore, but I think he realizes you wouldn't put on those clothes without reason. Personally, though, even if by some chance the suit was revealing, it's not the worst it could be. I've heard of worse." Masaru said, hoping to divert the subject.

"What do you mean?" He smiled inwardly as it worked.

"Have you ever heard of the Hidden Cloud missing nin Natsumi the Fire Mistress?" Masaru asked curiously. Tenten was confused, but nodded.

"I've heard the name in passing once before. That's the identical twin sister of the missing nin Fuyumi the Ice Mistress, right?"

"At least you know. That makes it easier. I've heard tales of the two on my travels. I haven't heard any as to why the two of them seem like complete opposites of each other, despite being identical twins, but I have heard about the things they wear. Fuyumi is known for being extremely modest, and hardly shows any skin at all. Natsumi, though, is another case entirely. According to the tales, the outfit she wears is so revealing, wearing a skimpy bikini would actually be an improvement." Masaru explained.

"Okay, but what was the point of that tale?" Tenten asked.

"Simple. Don't let people judge you by your appearance. I think Natsumi wears such an outfit because she wants to show off her body. Your clothes are the way they are to work with your bloodline." Masaru said.

Seeing she wasn't completely happy at the moment, he decided to approach her another way. "I think the only way you'll ever really get used to it is if you use it more often. How about a sparring session? Besides, I'm curious as to how far you have managed to get with the Ekitaikinzoku."

Tenten let out a smirk. "You're on. And don't think I'll go easy on you."

Masaru let out a smirk of his own. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Though we should avoid trying to kill each other. After all, it's only sparring. Now get ready."

Tenten nodded, and channeled chakra into the mark on her kimono. A puff of smoke enveloped her, and when it dispersed, revealed her other outfit.

Most kunoichi wear different outfits depending on the missions they are given. Some of them don't require anything special, since they are the same kinds of missions men take on. However, there are select groups of missions that only kunoichi are able to take on, since it would require to them to get close to certain individuals in a way only a woman could. For those missions, they would wear more revealing outfits, and hide all traces they were ninja. Tenten's outfit, compared to that norm, seemed a little extreme.

The outfit consisted of two parts. A pair of tight pants, and a top. However, the pants were uniquely done. Instead of being cut off in any one spot, they were cut so that the entire outer thigh, and a small portion of her butt was exposed. The fronts of each leg were also exposed, and Masaru surmised it was enough space for her to make a decent blade along her leg, should she decide to decapitate an enemy with her kicks.

The material for her legs went halfway down her shin, but considering how much skin she exposed, it didn't matter too much. He had asked her before though, how she managed to get the material to stick to her leg. She explained to him that the material was treated with chakra, and designed to cling to human skin. It was also made so that it wouldn't scrunch up anywhere, so it wouldn't hinder much.

Tenten's top was pretty basic. It was sleeveless so that she could form metal along her entire arm, the place she was most commonly going to use her bloodline. The top, like the kimono, held the 'swap' marking in the same place. It also didn't cover as much as he first thought. Last time he saw this outfit, it went all the way to the bottom of her waist. Now, it only reached the top of her abdomen, just a little below her breasts. He could clearly see something he hadn't expected; a very hard and defined abdomen.

He supposed it shouldn't have surprised him. In one of the training sessions she had with Lee while he watched, she was somehow able to wield a gigantic metallic club against him with minimal effort. When he asked her how long it took, she said it only took her a few weeks to get to the point she did, shocking him.

Upon learning about the Ekitaikinzoku, he figured her body was somehow able to increase the strength in her muscles at an accelerated pace compared to others, since her own bloodline would slow her down. He actually considered this a part of her bloodline.

Their taijutsu spar the day they discovered it showed him that she was very weak in the abdominal area, so before they departed from each other, he told her about this stuff, and said she should work on it. From his current observations, she apparently has…

"Looks like you've been following my advice." He said with a smile.

"Yeah. It actually helped me a whole lot. I'm much more flexible and stronger now." She retorted.

Masaru then dashed forward at a speed she wasn't able to follow, before she felt a blow to her gut. She winced at the pain, but quickly got over it. She looked and saw Masaru exactly where he was a moment ago.

"What did you do that for?" She asked, anger clearly present on her face.

"Sorry, but I was curious as to how far your resilience to attacks there has come. Did it hurt a lot?" Masaru asked.

Tenten remembered the sudden pain, and replied. "Actually, I didn't feel a lot of pain at all." Masaru simply smiled.

"That's the effort's of your training. That blow I gave you had about twice the force in it as the previous punch I had given you there. You've come far, since you didn't feel so much pain." Masaru said with some pride in her abilities.

"Yeah, but you didn't need to be so sneaky about it." Tenten whined.

"Said the shinobi that is supposed to deceive their opponents." Masaru countered.

"Whatever, let's just get to sparring." She snorted in annoyance, before getting into a taijutsu stance. Then, with no visible effort, she had managed to form dull blades along her arms. Masaru looked on curiously.

"_Impressive. I guess I should be grateful she dulled the blades._" He thought, before activating his own bloodline, and getting into his stance. He charged forward, hoping to confuse her with his surprise tactic.

He managed to land a punch on her cheek, and then used the momentum of her flying off by grabbing her ankle, spinning her a bit, and tossing her towards a tree. He dashed towards her landing spot, hoping to get her some more.

A metal shaft had shot out of her palm towards the ground, stopping her advance to the tree, and also allowing her to spin herself around it, and give Masaru a two-foot kick right into his chin. He was sent back a ways, and she immediately was on him, taking slashes at him with her arm blades.

He was barely able to evade the first few swings. After the fifth swing, he looked like he found an opening for an attack, when another small blade immediately shot out of the blade she was swinging with, giving him a scratch on his cheek.

He took this moment to give her a good kick, and get away from her attacks so he could regroup. "_So, she can make new weapons that branch off the ones that she already made. Clever tactic._" He thought as he examined the scratch on his cheek. The small amount of blood that came from it had already stopped, so he was ready to move again. And he did.

Quickly pulling a kunai from its holster. He had gone in for another attack, but was repelled by a kunai she undoubtedly made herself. Masaru made a few more attempts at slashing with his kunai, but each time it was repelled. To anyone that may have been looking upon them, it would almost seem like they were dancing.

At some point during her kunai blow exchange with Masaru, she began to intertwine kicks with metal blades into her repertoire as well, making it much harder for him to dodge out of the way. He was able to get some lucky hits, and that allowed for him to get some openings. However, she was also able to get openings in this same exact fashion.

After realizing this 'dance' was getting nowhere, he decided to take things up a notch. In a burst of speed, he had managed to land a cut along her upper arm, where her blade did not reside. She flinched in pain, and that was the only opening he needed to get a few good hits in, sending her a bit away.

It took her a moment to get back to her feet, but even then, she looked worse for wear, with a number of cuts along her body. Masaru wasn't looking much better either.

"I guess I should show you what else I've learned Masaru-san." Tenten said, before going through a couple of quick hand signs. When they were completed, tendrils made of liquid metal began bursting from several different locations on her body: her legs her arms, her abdomen, and even her back. Each one was waving around in the air, with the dulled tips shining in the afternoon sunlight.

"_Shit! I didn't think she'd be capable of something like this._" He admitted to himself that he was in a bit of a bind here. He tested the effectiveness of her new technique by launching a few shuriken at her. Each and every one of them was deflected with relative ease by her tendrils.

He needed to work on an effective strategy to get through her guard. Considering she was completely surrounded from all side, it wouldn't be an easy task.

He never got the chance to continue thinking as the tendrils sot out towards him, aiming to impale him, if it was a real match, but they'd still hurt nonetheless. He began to perform a series of flips, designed to get him away from the tendrils of doom. He managed to succeed when they each collided into the ground, but his relief was short lived when tendrils shot out of the stems of those imbedded in the ground.

It was during this times he managed to finish his thought process. She's currently protected on all sides, but she is still vulnerable from the ground. He flashed through a quick series of hands signs and called out "Ninja Art: Rock Spire!" before placing his palm on the ground

The earth immediately began to rumble slightly, starting from where Masaru placed his palm, before traveling along to where Tenten was standing. He could tell it was taking all of her focus to maintain the tendrils; otherwise she would have picked it up by now. It worked out to his advantage in the end, as a rock spire jutted out the ground right beneath her feet, sending her airborne. This also served to lose her focus on the tendrils, causing them to clatter to the ground.

Tenten, after regaining her balance, was irked that her attack was stopped so easily. She realized that, despite her training, she has yet to fully master that jutsu, if she was caught unaware like that so easily. She would need more time to train it. Oh well, she still had one other useful technique, one that was perfect for countering Masaru.

A tendril was making it's way out from the back of her neck, but instead of becoming a sharpened point, it had formed a large sphere at it's end, with a diameter of about three feet. Masaru looked on curiously at it, trying to discern it's purpose, but it wasn't doing anything.

"You won't be able to get past this Masaru. It's perfect for dealing with you." Masaru looked at her, trying to read her mind as to when she would strike. He was surprised when he saw that not even she knew when her next move would be. He decided to take his chances. He looked into a tree behind Tenten, and nodded.

A shadow clone he created earlier had been hiding in the tree that Masaru was looking at. Its role up to this point, along with a couple of others that had been with him, were to observe the battle, look for the flaws in her technique, and disperse so that Masaru would receive the information. At this point, the battle was reaching its close, so he sent the clone in for an offensive. No sooner did the clone leave the trees did a flurry of senbon needles imbed themselves into the clone, instantly dispersing it.

Masaru made a move to begin attacking, but another flurry of senbon launched out at him, halting his progress. He was forced to retreat back, the needles still raining down on him. It wasn't until he stopped moving did they stop launching themselves at him. He pondered the reason for this.

Looking back, he realized that the clone had been attacked too quickly for it to be Tenten's own reflexes. Heck, no jonin would be able to launch a counter strike that quickly. He decided to test what the sphere would and wouldn't attack. Hearing movement not to far away from where they were now, he quickly threw a kunai into the bush he had heard it from, scaring a squirrel out into the open. Senbon quickly shot at the little furry animal, but Masaru was quick enough to grab the squirrel and get it to safety, away from the battle.

This little test, though it was cruel to the squirrel, helped him deduce how the sphere attacked. He Tenten well enough. There was no way she'd ever harm an innocent little creature, even for the sake of winning a fight. He could tell that just by looking into her eyes, the look of concern on her face for its well-being. He knew that she wouldn't be happy with him attacking the squirrel. He'd have to apologize about it about it but for now he'd focus on the fight.

Since he knew about her love of animals, and the fact that she wouldn't do that herself, told him the sphere acted independently of her, and attacked of it's own will. It would have to be able to sense something in order to be able to attack though. He concluded that noticeable movement made by any living thing was what was detected by the sphere, and would retaliate with senbon.

"_Clever tactic, she knew I could read her mind to anticipate her attacks, so she created an attack that doesn't act on her will, so I wouldn't be able to read the moves._" Masaru thought. In light of this, the only way he'd be able to win was if he moved very fast, something that would be harder to do as he got closer. But there was one other idea that came to mind…

He purposely moved his arm to get a kunai, causing the senbon to strike at him, but made no move to dodge, Tenten looked on in horror as it looked like he would be impaled on her attack… only to see him dissolve into nothingness.

The shock of what happened ended when a slash was heard, cutting her link to the sphere, where it landed a few feet in front of her. The next thing she was aware of was a kunai at her neck. "Air Clone Jutsu. I win." Masaru said calmly from behind her.

"No." She said, before she dissolved into a puddle of metal. Masaru was then aware of a kunai against his own neck.

"Liquid Metal Clone. _I_ win." Tenten said, mimicking her friend.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was pretty difficult for me to do, especially the little tidbits in there about Tenten's feelings for Neji, and her reaction to her own outfit. Even now, I feel it could've been better.

In regards to Tenten's bloodline, I honestly think it isn't too bad of a choice for her to have an ability that allows her such control of weapons like that. She's already a weapon's expert; this is just a push in the right direction. She isn't the only person I intend to give improvements to, either. Currently, I have three other characters lined up to be enhanced in some way, but only one of them will be revealed anytime soon.

On another note, the two OCs I mentioned in this chapter, Natsumi and Fuyumi will show in my story, and play an important role later on. As for why it seems like the two are completely different, despite being identical twins, I'll let you try to figure that out.

I'll address this issue now before anyone decides to ask me about it. Yes, I'm aware of the Rin'negan that has been mentioned in a recent chapter. I'm also aware that in some sense, it looks similar to the Kannyugan. However, there won't be any special connection between them. In fact, I don't plan on having the Rin'negan play any significant role in this story, if any at all. I'm not fond of the idea of one specific doujutsu, which happens to belong to who is possibly the strongest character currently in the Naruto universe, can be considered the most powerful of the doujutsu. If I want anything involving doujutsu, then I want them to be considered balanced in some way. For this reason, you can expect that the Sharingan will not be as all-powerful as it is played out to be in the manga. Neither will the Rin'negan, assuming I use it at all. Sorry for this rant, but it was just something I needed to get out of my system.

**New Jutsus**

Ekitaikinzoku (Liquid Metal)- Tenten's bloodline limit. By channeling her chakra close to the surface of her skin, specifically near her sweat pores, she is capable of emitting a metallic substance that she is capable of controlling at will using her chakra. The only limits she has on what it can do are limited to her imagination. She is also capable of solidifying into a metal whose hardness is determined by how concentrated the chakra in it is.The solidified metal can be molded as a weapon that is sharper than her normal weapons.

Sealing Jutsu: Swap Seal- A special seal utilized by Tenten in order for to switch between outfits when she is and isn't utilizing her bloodline. By triggering the seal, it unseals clothing that is stored in it, and placed on the users body, and simultaneously takes what they were wearing and places it in the seal. Both outfits are marked with the kanji for 'swap' to indicated the jutsu. (B-Rank)

Air Clone Jutsu- A jutsu similar to that of the Water Clone Jutsu,, in that it creates a clone that is fully capable of fighting, but much more difficult to utilize, because air is a much more unstable medium than water is, so it requires more concentration to keep it from falling apart. (B-Rank)

Next time: Chapter 24- Training Begins

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	25. Training Begins

Chapter 24- Training Begins

He assessed his situation. Tenten had a kunai up against his neck, and ready to slice at a moment's notice. It took him a moment to sense her chakra active in streams emanating from her body. He realized that she made more tendrils, ready to attack his hands should the need arise. He was trapped, so he may as well admit defeat. Masaru let out a good laugh. "Looks like you do. I don't have any moves left."

She smiled, before looking at him with a frown. "Why did you do that? Why did you put the cute, little squirrel in danger?" She said, slightly pressing the kunai a little tighter.

He gulped, not wanting to deal with Tenten's wrath. "I was caught in the moment, and it was the only thing I could think of to figure out how your technique worked. And… I guess it was helpful to get my mind off things.

A puzzled expression crossed her face. "What do you mean?" She asked, releasing the kunai from his neck.

"I've got a lot on my mind today. The sparring session helped me to ease my mind at least a little." He then began to tell her about the events that had transpired today. About learning the fact the Kannyugan originated in the village, the escapades that he went through with Naruto and Shikamaru, both in and out of his mind, to the meeting he had with the Hokage regarding the mission, the problems that existed between him and Ino, and how he was going to have to train Naruto to use his Kannyugan.

"I… see." Tenten hesitantly said. In truth, she didn't really know what to say to him. So much has happened to him in just this one day. And he was looking for some inner peace, even if it was just for a moment.

Her thoughts were cut short by Masaru's voice. "Tenten-san. Perhaps you can help me with something." Noticing he had her attention, he continued. "Do you know anything about the Yamanaka clan as a whole?"

She was surprised about this question. "Why do you need to ask me? Shouldn't you ask…Ino?" She said as the pieces fell into place.

"You know I can't ask her directly. I did some thinking earlier, and from my memories, I figured that the problems I had with her stemmed not from her, but from her clan as a whole. If I know some things about them, I might be able to figure why I don't like her." Masaru explained.

"You sure you're not looking for excuses." Tenten teased.

"Positive. I did explain to you once about one's ancestor's memories in their mind, correct?" Tenten nodded. "Well, there is something I didn't really explain." He took a breath before continuing. "There are a few rare cases of it, but sometimes when an emotion bottled up in a memory is strong enough. It is possible for it to leak through and encase the person in it, should a sufficient stimulus arise to trigger such a reaction. A simple example of this could relate to a person's dislike of certain foods, even if they never tasted it. If they had an ancestor that hated it with a passion…" Masaru explained, but didn't finish his sentence.

"Then the person would feel that same hatred for the food. I think I get what you mean." Tenten said. She then took on a thoughtful pose. "I haven't spent too much time with Ino before, so I don't know a lot about the clan, but I heard that the clan originally lived in the Hidden Grass Village at one point. Why they decided to come here, I don't know. I do know, however, that the Yamanaka clan specializes in certain mental jutsus."

Masaru look at her disbelievingly. "Are you sure about that? Mind jutsus?" His mind was a mess of questions at the moment.

"Yes." She was concerned with the look on his face. "Are you okay, Masaru-san?"

"I…think I'll be fine. I'll think about this a little later. I just need something to get my minds off things. How about a little kenjutsu training?" He asked.

"Ok, but are you sure you'll be ok?" She asked, as she channeled chakra to the mark on her outfit, before reverting back to her battle kimono, complete with her weapons scroll, which had vanished with her other outfit. She smiled thinking about that. She then unfurled the scroll, and pulled out a katana.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for asking though." He said, before pulling out a katana and it's sheath from inside his coat.

Even though he did have a sword strapped to his back, he resolved to never use that except when facing real enemies. It was just too dangerous any other time. That's why he had this katana made for him, so that he'd be able to fight when it wasn't so serious.

"First, before we begin the lesson, let's see how far you've come on your own. En garde!" Masaru exclaimed.

"What the hell does that mean?" She wondered.

"Beats me. I just thought it sounded cool." He shrugged, before coming at her with the katana.

* * *

Several hours later, the two had called it a night, and left each other with much to think about in the days to come. Tenten broaching the subject of her bloodline with her teammates, and everything that seemed to pile up on Masaru's plate overnight. At least, now they would at least have the chance to have some temporary solace: the realm of dreams.

Well, this held true more for Tenten than for Masaru. He still needed to do one last thing for the day before he considered going to bed in the least bit. He needed to leave a message for Naruto to meet him at the training grounds in the morning. He only had one day left before leaving on the mission, and he wanted to get started on Naruto's training right away.

It was strange how things were. He had only known the boy for a few weeks, and already he's gotten a thorough grasp of his personality. He was loud and boisterous about his ambitions, yet he kept most else about him to himself. He was always quick to show everyone how he has improved by showing off some new trick he learned; yet he was reluctant to give off any weakness. He was always showed a smile in front of his friends, yet they never saw, the tears that appeared in his eyes whenever he was alone.

These traits showed Masaru he needed to build up the boy to be stronger. He didn't want Naruto to hold back his emotions. What he was doing now was incredibly self-destructive. Even though it wasn't a pretty thought, Masaru privately wondered if Naruto has actually contemplated suicide at least at one point in his life.

Shaking such thoughts from his head, he made his way to where Naruto's apartment was. He had only been here once before, and didn't stay long, given that the mess was enormous, but he needed to leave Naruto a message, somewhere he would see it.

When he arrived, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised by what he saw, but it still shocked and angered him to no end. Written on the front of the door and the walls in rough graffiti were the words 'bastard' and 'demon' and 'go to hell!' He was beginning to realize the extent of the shit Naruto had to put up with on a daily basis as he stealthily crept into Naruto's place.

"_Thankfully those seals are present on his apartment. Otherwise, he may as well have been murdered in his sleep._" Indeed, there were strong seals placed on the boy's apartment. He didn't know exactly who had placed them there, but he was certain that whoever did it was extremely powerful, as well as concerned for Naruto's well being. Considering who he knew that strong that was concerned for the boy, along with stories Naruto told him in the past, left only two real options: the Third Hokage and Jiraiya.

He was no expert on seals. Heck, if his skills as a shinobi were ranked from best to worst, his skill with seals would be ranked the worst. This was mostly because the nature of seals was incredibly intricate, and required the chakra control necessary to 'write' the seal with your chakra. Not only that, but it needed to be perfectly written, else it would fail. Someone that possessed good penmanship skills would make a person a good seal user, something Masaru was severely lacking in.

Despite his handicap, he could see the seals were easily Hokage level. Taking a look at them as best as he could. He tried to discern what the seal's purpose was, based on what was written on them. It took him a few minutes before he could figure it out. From what he read, the seal was designed to allow entry to anyone that wanted to enter. However, if the person that entered had hostile intentions towards anyone or anything that was inside the barrier the seals created, then they would be repelled. It was also tweaked so that inanimate objects thrown with hostility imbued in them would be repelled, as well as prevent his apartment from catching on fire.

The seal was especially intricate, no doubt designed to give Naruto a safe haven away from all the people of the village who tortured him back then. Taking a closer look revealed that the seal has been intact for at least five years. Given that Jiraiya hadn't met Naruto until about three years ago, he concluded the Third Hokage placed the sealing jutsu on the apartment.

He smiled at the fact the old deceased man cared so much for the boy, but he remembered what he had came for, and quickly left a message in front of Naruto's ramen cabinet, knowing that would be where he'd most likely see the note. After that, he left for his own apartment to get some shuteye.

* * *

Tenten woke up in a groggy state. After the kenjutsu training with Masaru, she had just enough time to make a short meal before going to bed. She was so tired she fell asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow.

Now that the new day had begun, she got ready for the day. First, by getting a hot shower that would undoubtedly wake her up completely, then by preparing a simple high-energy breakfast coupled with a cup of coffee. Knowing that she might have to work with either Gai or Lee today. She would need all the strength she could get.

Making sure her battle kimono was on properly, and set to change to her bloodline outfit, she began to leave. Her reason for checking it came off from one of her earlier attempts at performing the jutsu properly. When she cast it, instead of switching to the outfit, she stood there completely naked when it occurred. Since then, she's been working to make sure it functioned properly, to prevent such mishaps. She knew perverted guys would jump at the chance to see her that way.

She snapped from her thoughts as she traveled down the streets to the training grounds. People who saw her simply gave her a respectful nod, as they always do for shinobi of the Leaf. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Ninja protect their lives everyday, so they show respect for their saviors.

Still, none of them are truly aware of all the turmoil that occurs behind the scenes. The village council members, saying they always are looking out for the best interests of the village, are among the most power-hungry and corrupt individuals around. If it was necessary for them to kill each other of in a stave for more power, she was sure they wouldn't hesitate to do so. She was sure the fact that Homura-sama and Koharu-sama, the most levelheaded members of the council, are the only reason such a situation hasn't arisen to begin with.

She knew so much about how corrupt the council was because during the two and a half year trip that Naruto had taken, she had approached Tsunade-sama about her desire to be a great kunoichi, yet she reprimanded her for such a silly dream, saying that to be truly great, you don't try to strive to be great. You aim for a goal that is much more solid, rather than something so vague. She had been crushed by that response, but it had given her a chance to think.

She came to the conclusion that she loved to help others as best she could, and would strive to be a top advisor to the Hokage. Tsunade applauded her for wanting to follow such a dream, earning her a blush on her cheeks when she said that. Since then, she has been sitting in with Tsunade whenever she was attending a council meeting, allowing her to see politics at work. For her to be a successful advisor, she'd need to be aware of all the subtleties of human emotion that were involved around the table. She'd also need a lot of combat experience in the field in various different combat scenarios to know how to effectively aid the Hokage in deploying shinobi for various missions.

She gritted her teeth in annoyance as she thought about those snobby council members. On her first day, she could plainly see that they cared little about actually protecting the village at all, and only worried about their own hides. The only time they even considered an important course of action was when they found some way to benefit out of it themselves. It sickened her.

She sighed and attempted to calm down as she noticed she reached the training grounds. It wouldn't do any good for her teammates to see her such a way, especially since she promised herself she'd tell them.

"YOSH! The youthful flower of our team has arrived, Lee!" Gai exuberantly shouted to his student, who shouted along with him, much to her annoyance.

"Hello, Tenten." A voice said to her.

Tenten only turned to look at the man she secretly loved, who had his eyes closed, meditating. Even though he couldn't see anything, she knew he was able to tell it was her by their team's fiery welcome.

"Hello, Neji-kun." She said, and she managed to get him to open his eyes, which he seemed almost hesitant to do. When he saw her, or more specifically what she was wearing, his eyes held almost what looked like relief.

"You changed your clothes." Neji said, almost monotonously. She frowned slightly when she thought he was scowling. She sat down in front of him, and looked at him playfully.

"What, didn't like my other outfit?" She asked with a tease. Perhaps Masaru was right that Neji felt something for her. It was very faint, but she was able to see a small trace of pink on his cheeks.

"Not that. I was curious as to why you felt the need to change your attire." Neji calmly said. That was one thing she had to admire about him. He was able to keep his cool regardless of the situation he was in.

"I wore that outfit because I wanted to be used to it. It serves my needs efficiently enough. I'm wearing this now because I prefer this for casual dress, and battle in ordinary circumstances." She said in a voice that seemed out of character for her, since Neji looked at her weirdly.

"What are you talking about?" Neji asked.

Tenten sighed, before she began. "First. Lee, Gai-sensei, could you come over here, there is something I'd like to speak to all of you about." They both stopped the taijutsu spar they were having, and they were all sitting in a circle.

"Before I begin, I want you all to promise to not reveal this to anyone. It's not something I want to be made public just yet." Lee, Gai, and Neji had all agreed to her request, wondering what was so important.

Once she had gotten them to agree, she had begun to explain to them about her bloodline limit, and a small history regarding her family. She then explained to them (Neji mostly) the reason she wore the outfit was because it allowed her maximum capabilities of her bloodline. Gai had nodded thoughtfully at this moment, before he agreed with her reasoning. As a taijutsu specialist, he understood that incorporating the offensive and defensive capabilities of hardened metal on the skin would prove to be most effective.

"Could you please show us your bloodline, Tenten?" Lee had excitedly asked. Tenten figured he would be the one to ask, though she knew that the others would've if he didn't.

"I am also curious to see it, Tenten. You have not used it in any of our sparring sessions." Neji remarked.

Tenten sighed, and concentrated her chakra up to the skin in her palm, and allowed it to seep out and form into a ball hovering in midair. "I didn't want to reveal it until I at least, got it somewhat under control. It could be dangerous if not under control. So I mostly trained it by myself, and on a couple of occasions Masaru-san assisted me in training."

Neji's interest was piqued at this point. "Masaru-san helped you out? Why does he know, and why is he helping you?" She couldn't be sure, but she was certain there was a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"He knows about my Ekitaikinzoku because he was with me when I first discovered it. He was a big help in showing me how to first make use of it. He also was the one who advised me to wear the outfit that I was wearing." She explained.

"He told you to wear that?!" Neji said, with a slight hint of anger in his voice.

Tenten was waving her arms in front of her frantically. "No, no nothing like that. He simply said I should wear something that would allow me to utilize it to it's fullest. Beyond that, everything was my own design."

"I see." He replied as he thought about it. Then he noticed the mark on her kimono. "What's that?"

"This?" She asked, when she saw him looking at it. "This is a special swapping storage seal. It enables me to switch between this and my other outfit at anytime. It's really helpful, but it took several days before I could get it working properly."

She then pushed chakra into the mark, and switched to her other attire. Neji merely looked away, which a definite blush on her face. Well the only way to get him over this. "Hey, Neji. How bout a spar? My bloodline against yours."

Neji got over himself quickly enough, and nodded. "Alright Tenten. Perhaps after training for the day, we could go to a teahouse for some tea."

Tenten was completely thrown off guard by this sudden request, and a small blush tinted her own cheeks. "W-why?"

"Well, I wanted to get the chance to know more about you. I've known you for years, yet I know so little about. I was hoping to change that." HE said.

"So, i-is it a d-date?" She stammered out.

"I… suppose it is, Tenten. Would you like to go on a date with me?" Neji nervously asked.

"YES! YES! I mean, of course I would like to go out with you, Neji-kun." Tenten said.

"Ok, Tenten-chan. I believe he should be sparring now." He said as he slid into a Jyuken stance. "Byakugan!" He cried out as veins bulged around his eyes, signifying that he has activated his clan prestigious bloodline limit. With that, he charged at her, ready to fight.

* * *

Masaru woke up extremely groggy not unlike Tenten. But unlike her, he was just trying to deny the inevitable by going back to sleep. The sun had other idea, and shone brightly on his face, forcing him to wake up to the new day.

He rubbed the sand from his eyes as he got into the shower, the steaming hot water waking him up completely. It was here he remembered that he was going to meet Naruto today. He groaned at the realization.

Getting together a basic breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon helped him to build up his energy as he thought about training Naruto. He knew it would not be a simple task. From his observations, Naruto has learned from a wide variety of areas, yet the steps involved in what he needs to teach him are not among what he Naruto has learned. Masaru was hoping that Naruto had some basics down for what he needed to learn, but that was just incredibly bad wishful thinking.

It was going to be hell.

He had long since finished eating his breakfast, and was now walking down one of the streets to the training ground he was to meet Naruto at. "_Still, although he may not pick up the concepts quickly enough, he'll be determined to learn them. Would give me some time to think as well._"

He was so caught up in his musings he didn't realize he had bumped into someone. He was about to mutter out an apology when he got a good look at the person in front of him.

The long flowing hair, and pale eyes told him automatically it was Hyuga, but where Hinata's and Neji's eyes held kindness and sympathy, this person's eyes held nothing but a cold fury. The killer intent that he was letting off could easily scare the shit out of any lesser person, but Masaru had dealt with worse during his life, so he wasn't really buckled down by it at all.

A closer look revealed the man was wearing long, flowing white robes, and on his shoulder was the crest of the Hyuga clan. The fact he did not have the Caged Bird Seal told him that he was from the main family. He was also a slightly older man, which would mean that he would either be a Hyuga clan elder, of the head of the clan himself.

"Out of the way, boy. I have things to attend to." The Hyuga commanded.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? I'm not one of your servants. And what do you mean 'boy'? I'm clearly a teenager, you old fart." He got on Masaru's nerves with just that one sentence. He decided he was going to play hardball with him.

"How dare you! I am Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga clan. You will be reprimanded for your lack of respect." Hiashi said, activating his Byakugan on instinct. Masaru thought that although he was the head of the clan, he sounded pretty insane.

"I don't give respect to pompous asses. If you want me to show you respect, you have to earn it." Masaru calmly said, though with a violent undertone that indicated he was pissed off.

"You tread a dangerous path. I'll give you one more chance to apologize for your deeds, before I kill you." Hiashi said calmly in return.

"Aren't you going a little overboard with this, Hiashi? I don't show respect, and you suddenly decide the only proper course of action is killing an infidel. You must be messed up in the head or something." Masaru said.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Hiashi screamed, before launching a Jyuken strike at his heart. It connected, and Masaru was sent flying back, until he was replaced by a log, that is.

It took only an instant after that Masaru showed up in front of Hiashi. "You really need to calm down. I don't think high blood pressure for someone your age is very healthy." He said as he dodged one of the Byakugan user's attacks.

"Shut up! You are lowlife filth, and must respect his betters." Hiashi said, and Masaru closed his eyes, and was seriously wondering if the man in front of him had some sort of split personality disorder.

Then he heard his comment about him being lowlife filth. That instantly got on his nerves heavily, and something that he hated about nobles. They always used their class as a means to exercise the right to do whatever the hell they wanted to do with someone of lesser class they were. Even though he knew he shouldn't, he supposed Hiashi should know exactly who he was dealing with.

"You want to try to talk down to someone that should be considered just as politically powerful as you?" Masaru said, opening his eyes with the second level of his Kannyugan active. This was a little trick he learned sometime ago, but was far from mastering it. The trick worked in that he was able to split his consciousness between a person's mind and the real world, that way he could interact with both of them. It wasn't easy either, since you would be receiving sensory input from two completely separate locations. Any normal person, who wasn't able to control their own mind, would be easily overwhelmed by the experience.

Even now, he hasn't completely gotten it down. Masaru was able to, at best, travel through another person's mind as he and Hiashi were having the conversation. He learned that Hiashi was the father of Hinata, and the uncle of Neji, plus a few embarrassing secrets that he held.

Hiashi was surprised when he saw the new shape of the boy's pupils in front of him. He vaguely remembered seeing this somewhere before, but it wasn't before a long moment that he remember where he had seen them.

"You- You are a member of the Enjin clan, correct?" Hiashi asked. Masaru chuckled.

"Seems you haven't forgotten, but yes, I am one of the clan." Masaru said.

"Impossible. That clan died out fifteen years ago!" Hiashi exclaimed, causing Masaru's eyes to widen a bit.

"So they died when the Kyuubi attacked, I'm guessing. Apparently some of them survived, since I'm here." Masaru revealed.

"Who else survived?" The Hyuga head asked him.

Masaru decided to play with him a bit. "That's for me to know, and for you to not know. For now, at least. The day will come when the other survivor will be revealed. But for now, it's not your concern."

After Masaru's cryptic message, he moved at high speed to get behind Hiashi, with his back to him. "One more thing. Don't go around telling anyone what happened here. Otherwise, I'll reveal to the entire village your deepest, darkest, and most embarrassing secrets." Hiashi's head shot around to face him.

"H-How do you know those?" Hiashi stuttered, surprised someone like him was able to figure out his secrets, yet carry a conversation with him.

"I'm that good, that's why. Now, I have things I need to do." Masaru then left a perplexed Hiashi, who only scowled after the young man, before his eyes narrowed.

"_Something must be done about him._" Was the one thought running through his head.

* * *

Masaru had made it to the training ground a few minutes after his encounter with Hiashi, and was scolding himself for using his Kannyugan so recklessly.

"_I shouldn't have done that. Mom said to never use the Kannyugan in anger._" Was running through his mind as he punched a tree. The force he put into it was enough to put a sizable dent into the bark, but nowhere near enough to topple the whole thing.

He sighed to himself as he thought about his encounter with Hiashi. The only thing he knew for certain was that the man just rubbed him the wrong way. He was just that irritating. He wouldn't be surprised, though, if his own mother held something against him.

If he could take a guess, Hiashi might send assassins after him soon enough. He'd seem like the type of guy who would do anything to shut people up. He'd just need to be prepared for when that occurred.

He then heard the ruffling of leaves nearby, and knew who it was. He turned to face the sound, and saw Naruto entering the clearing.

"You wanted to see me, Masaru? I want to get to training so that I can bring back Sasuke." Naruto said.

Masaru inwardly chuckled. He sure did have a one-track mind. "Actually, that's what I wanted to see you about. I know you want to use the Kannyugan as soon as possible, so from this point on, I'm making it a point to train you myself in how to use it."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hope you all liked this chapter. I tried to make a good scene there between Masaru and Hiashi, but Hiashi isn't one of my favorite characters, so I took the chance to just mess with his personality as I saw fit. Also, if there are any more encounters between those two in the future, you can expect Masaru to come out on top everytime.

That thing I did regarding the barrier protecting Naruto's house doesn't seem to farfetched in my opinion. From what I've seen, everytime we see Naruto's apartment, it's in impeccable condition, despite the fact that he is hated by the villagers. It wouldn't be unexpected for them to try and raid and destroy his house whenever they damn well pleased, especially since it would probably be common knowledge where it was. So I figured there was something done to protect his house when he wasn't around. The fire-proof thing was just something I added as well, to explain why the place he lived was never burned down.

There are a couple of things I forgot to post when I made the previous chapter, but I'll quickly list one here, and the other for the new jutsus. For Tenten's Ekitaikinzoku, I forgot to include that as a result of the bloodline, she also contains a genetic varient that allows her body to build up muscular strength at an accelerated rate compared to other people. The reason for this is that when the metal comes out of her body, it's density can be quite heavy, and she might very well strain herself under the weight of her own jutsu. So I included it as a means to compensate for it.

I know it isn't something I want to say, but don't expect there to be another update to this story for several more months. The reason for this is that I've got multiple things going on in my life that need some sorting out, and trying to write this story is just going to make it more difficult to juggle everything. Once I can get settled into a workable scenario, then I'll try to get some more of the story done. In the meantime, I've got a couple ideas for stories that I haven't seen on this site. If anyone wants to, they can take up the challenge to writing a good story based around the idea I have given.

Story 1: The Kyuubi Nine

Scenario: What if Naruto isn't the only person that the Fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi into. What if instead, he divided up the power of Kyuubi into nine separate bodies, each one receiving the same power. How would they all grow up containing a portion of the power that nearly destroyed the village? Pairings for this story I'll leave to anyone that'll want to take it.

Story 2: (no workable title)

What if the Cloud had been successful all those years ago, and had managed to successfully abduct Hinata on that night? But instead of just simply taking her eyes away, she's raised to despise Konoha, and all who live there. What will it take for a certain blonde Jinchuuriki to remember what she has left behind and come home. Pairings Naruhina, anything else at the author's discretion.

If anyone does decide to write either of the ideas I came up with, you can go and use them. I only ask that you send me a message informing me that you decided to take up the challenge. I'll look forward to it if anyone decides to try it out.

**New Jutsus**

Ninja Art: Rock Spire- A ninjutsu technique utilized by Masaru. It operates by sending a wave of chakra into the ground, at which point you direct where you want it to go. When ready, it will shoot up a spire of rock straight from the ground, either impaling the enemy, or sending them up in the air. How large the rock spire is depends on how much chakra is put into the techniques creation. D-Rank

Sealing Jutsu: Anti-Hostility Barrier- A jutsu that at one point was utilized by the Third Hokage. By placing special sealing tags onto certain surfaces, a barrier range can be created from the tags. Once active, the jutsu will permit entry to anyone who enters, but will bar entry to anyone that might hold hostile intentions towards anyone or anything existing in the barrier space. The jutsu was tweaked so that it could sense the hostility that would exist in weapons that are thrown towards the barrier space, so they would be repelled as well. It was also designed to prevent hostile fires from occuring with in the effect radius, so they wouldn't get lost.

Next chapter: Chapter 25- Chakra Streams

_Eyes Of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	26. Chakra Streams

Chapter 25- Chakra Streams

"You'll be training me now, Masaru?" Naruto asked, inquisitively.

"That's what I said. Anyway, I'll start up your training today, but I won't be able to after that for a while." Masaru nonchalantly said.

"What? Why won't you train me after today?" The blonde frantically asked.

Masaru furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. "It's not that I don't want to teach you, but it's that I have to leave for a high-priority mission tomorrow, so I'll try to get done what I can today, and I don't know when I'll return."

Naruto sat Indian style on the ground, looking at him intensely. "I guess that's understandable." His brain suddenly clicked as he remembered something. "Oh yeah, Ero-sennin unlocked that scroll for me yesterday, and you said you wanted to look at it."

He pulled the scroll out from his pouch, and tossed it to Masaru, who caught it in his hand. "He also mentioned that you asked him to see me. What? Did you meet him or something?"

Masaru was only half-listening to his cousin as he looked over the contents of the scroll. "Yeah. Something like that." He frowned at what he read. "_I was right. The jutsu in this scroll just SCREAMS forbidden._"

He automatically knew what to do. "Well, you did find this scroll, so it is yours." He said this as he tossed it back to Naruto. "However," He began fumbling with it when he spoke up like that. After securely holding it, he looked at his cousin, who had a dead-serious look on his face. "The jutsu you can learn from that scroll is not a child's toy. I can see it's a forbidden jutsu. If you're going to practice it, you better use the utmost caution. It could kill yourself if you're not careful. I'd suggest reading the entire content of the scroll so you know all the dangers involved in the jutsu."

Naruto gulped, and took the older Enjin boy's warning seriously. "What kind of jutsu is it, Masaru?" He asked nervously.

"It's a wind style jutsu, so you should be able to grasp it quickly enough." He face then took on a thoughtful glance. "However, you probably should have a more thorough grasp of the principles of wind based jutsus before attempting to train this."

"How am I supposed to grasp the principles?" Naruto asked.

"I would suggest asking your sensei, Kakashi. I've heard he's copied over a thousand jutsus. Chances are some of them are wind-based. He's your best shot." Masaru recommended. "But I would also suggest you not mention the real reason you want to learn the jutsus."

"How come?" Naruto didn't know why he shouldn't tell his sensei.

Masaru looked at him intently. "I don't think he would truly teach you what you want if you said you want to grasp the concepts so you could learn a forbidden jutsu. He'd sooner take away the scroll with the jutsu than teach you it."

"Then what am I supposed to tell him?" Naruto angrily exclaimed.

His cousin sighed. Sometimes it was difficult to deal with his thick headedness. "Tell him you want to learn some jutsus to increase your repertoire, and use them to help bring Sasuke back."

Naruto's face appeared grim for a moment, but he quickly covered up. "I think that'll work. So, you were going to train me on my bloodline?"

Masaru looked at him a moment, but letting out a laugh. "Sorry, I guess we got off track." He once again took a serious demeanor. "Before I can start training you to use the Kannyugan, you need to learn to create chakra streams."

"Huh?" Was the only thing that escaped Naruto's lips.

Masaru decided that it would be better to show him, rather then explain it to him. Stretching out his arm, he allowed a thin stream of chakra to be emitted from his index finger, which then extended to the branch of a nearby tree. He waved his arm around a bit, allowing the stream to wave around a bit in the air, before stopping the flow of chakra. He then looked to Naruto, who had a thoughtful expression on his face, something he wasn't expecting.

Naruto, however, was looking in his mind for some instance of where he had seen such a technique done before. His mind couldn't really recall just when he had seen them, so he decided to think about if he had been told of it before. His mind was searching, until he remembered the story Sakura had told him about her fight against Sasori of the Red Sand. He had been the most gifted puppet user the Sand Village ever produced, before he went rogue and joined the Akatsuki.

He found his connection.

"Isn't that the same technique that puppet users use to control their puppets?" Masaru blinked. He had asked his mother that same exact question when he was younger, when he saw her perform the technique for the first time. She chuckled when she thought about how similar they were.

Masaru was also trying to understand how Naruto already knew about the technique at all. Even though he's been all over, puppet users nowadays are in a clear minority, and if the stories he'd heard are correct, then Chiyo, the oldest and one of the best puppet masters, had died recently. The only other prominent puppet master that he could think of that was alive would be Kankuro, the brother of the Kazekage. He recalled that Naruto was actually very good friends with the Kazekage. He must've known of the technique that way.

"I guess you're right. It's a little like it." He chuckled, in a way, to him, that sounded like his own mother. "However there are some key differences. Both of them latch onto the target of your choosing, but that's where the similarities end."

He then walked over to a nearby tree, and tore off a couple of low branches, and laid them on the ground. "I guess it's useful that I learned how to learn how to form the chakra strings. It'll make the explanation much easier."

It was true. A couple of years ago, he had been traveling in the Wind Country, when he encountered a team of Sand ninja on a mission, who were taking a rest. He read their minds discreetly for the hack of it, but one of them, a puppet user, was able to detect a faint flow of chakra coming from him. The puppet user pulled him aside, and asked him about it. One thing led to another, and it led to a discussion between the two about the differences between the streams and the strings. They even taught each other the technique, since they both found ways to make it useful.

Placing the two branches on the ground, Masaru than pulled the katana from his coat, and sliced them down, until they were two evenly sized stumps. After putting away the katana, he then held up each of his hands, and a single stream of chakra was emitted from each of his hands and attached to each block. Naruto watched with interest as in appeared that chakra was pushing its way into one of the blocks, while it simply remained attached with the other.

"You can see the chakra that's flowing through the one block, correct?" Naruto nodded. "Good. That is what is the true nature of a chakra string."

"How does the string work?" Naruto asked.

"Good question, Naruto. A chakra string works by attaching itself to an object, then digging itself into the object, and spreading outward, until it covers a set amount of area that you want to control. On the surface, it looks like it's just attached, but it's necessary for it to weave itself throughout an object. Otherwise, an object couldn't be controlled."

Masaru demonstrated this by moving both of his arms around, moving the strings with them. The block that only had an attached string stayed still, while the other block went around in the air with the string.

"It's pretty complicated, but the basic gist of it is that the chakra strings allow complete control of puppets inside and out, as well as allow it to utilize the traps that are placed into them." Masaru explained.

He then allowed the chakra string to dissipate, causing the floating block to fall to the ground. "The chakra stream is simply a string of chakra that has attached itself to another surface. It's slightly harder to utilize this effectively sometimes, because since the stream doesn't take root, you need to make sure that it doesn't come off at an inopportune time, so it takes some practice to get the hang of."

Naruto looked deep in thought, before speaking up. "Why do I need to know how to use a chakra stream? Can't I use the Kannyugan right away?"

Masaru looked him dead in the eye, nearly startling Naruto, before explaining. "Technically, it's possible, but it's not the wisest course of action. The Kannyugan works by creating a stream of chakra that connects to another person's eyes, and from there, we read their minds. However, the stream itself is wild and uncontrolled without proper training."

He then spoke with a grave undertone. "Also, when the stream is uncontrolled, it could also do damage to the eyes. Continued use of the Kannyugan without the training can actually render you blind."

Naruto had a horrified look on his face. Blind. He couldn't have that. He couldn't be a decent shinobi if he couldn't truly see. He resolved that he would go through the training.

"Alright, where do we start?" Naruto said, with an air of confidence.

Masaru smiled at Naruto's response. "The first thing you'll need to do is learn how to use the chakra streams from your fingers. When I feel that you've mastered them, we'll start Kannyugan training itself."

"Exactly when will that be?" Naruto groaned.

Masaru thought for a moment. It would probably be setting the bar a little high, but it never hurts to be as prepared as possible. "Watch closely."

Masaru put his hands into the tiger sign to channel his chakra, before ten chakra streams were being emitted; one from each of his fingers, and latching onto various objects in the area. With a simple flex, he leapt high into the air, performing a flip as he ascended. What amazed Naruto was that as he was in the air, the chakra streams remained attached to what they were fastened to. At the apex of Masaru's leap, he twisted in the air, allowing the streams to disconnect from their targets, but then reattach to another target, which was previously latched onto by a different stream.

Naruto could only gape at the impressive display Masaru presented. In its own way, it was very much like an elegant dance. He could tell Masaru has been working on this for an extremely long time.

He was so caught up in what he saw, he didn't notice Masaru had landed, and was approaching him. "Naruto?"

"Wha?" Was all he needed to snap out of his reverie.

"If you can pull off something similar to that, then I think you'll be able to handle the Kannyugan." Naruto gaped as his jaw hit the ground. He expected him to do all of that. That would be practically impossible.

As if sensing his thoughts, he spoke up. "I said you only needed to perform something _like_ it. The goal is to be able to move the streams around at will, but still latch them onto objects." Masaru than pulled out a scroll from one of his inner coat pockets. He unraveled it a bit. A puff of smoke accompanied the unraveling, and a pair of gray gloves popped out. Masaru threw them to Naruto, who caught them readily.

Masaru spoke before Naruto asked the obvious question. "Those are special gloves that were developed for chakra stream training. They'll change color when you perform the technique. The color it becomes depends on how well the chakra is being controlled in the technique. If it's being done poorly, it'll be red. If the control is better, it'll slowly cross the color spectrum, from orange, to yellow, green, blue, and finally purple. If it's purple, that means you have it under perfect control."

As Masaru gave his explanation, Naruto had slipped on the gloves. He was surprised at how comfortable they felt. Looking at them, he was reminded of the gloves that Kakashi-sensei had always worn. He resolved to find some gloves like that for himself in the future. On that note, he decided he should also get himself an entirely new outfit. Since he was a new person, complete with bloodline, he needed something to work with it.

"Okay, now the first step you'll need to take is to latch onto an object from a set distance, and keeping it that way. You should try using one of the blocks as your first target." Naruto sat on the ground and began to channel his chakra.

"As you prepare the stream, imagine yourself drawing a line, starting from your fingers, and making it's way to the intended target." Naruto did as instructed, and found it was actually much easier than he thought. He was able to connect the stream on only one try.

Masaru was also surprised, but in a different way. He knew already that Naruto's training with the Rasengan gave him a good grounding in imagining the movement of his chakra, so it wasn't impossible. What surprised him, though, was that Naruto's gloves were green, and bordering on blue. He hadn't expected Naruto's control to be that good on the first try.

"Very good for your first try. Your control of the stream is better than anticipated. The only problem present it that you need to be a little more precise in drawing the line. This is key to getting the first step down." He paused before looking off to the side. "And you come out now, Hinata-san."

Naruto was confused at the sudden statement, but then he heard something like an 'eep' followed by the ruffling of bushes. Sure enough, Hinata had come out of the shrubbery. She had a blush crossing her face, but from what, Naruto didn't know.

Masaru simply looked at her with a disapproving face. "How much did you hear just now?" He asked in a firm voice.

Hinata, on the other hand was frozen in place, that she was caught so easily. But then she remembered how he caught her the first time. And then there was the warning that he gave her about not spying on him, lest she just call her out into the opening.

"U-Um. I've b-been here since y-you put on t-the d-display. I-I felt the s-spike in chakra and c-came to check it o-out. S-Sorry for intruding." Hinata said, before turning around to leave. Masaru went over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I didn't say you needed to leave. In fact, you could probably help out Naruto in his training. With your Byakugan, you could keep an eye on how he's using his chakra, and how to correct it." He then leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Besides, this is a chance to spend some time with Naruto, and to get him to notice you."

Masaru watched with mild amusement as Hinata stiffened up like a board, before having her entire face became beet red. It was actually fun to watch her embarrassment over anything regarding Naruto. But it would help in the end in getting these two together.

Hinata's mind, to put it simply, was a complete and utter wreck. She couldn't do this; she couldn't be of any help to Naruto. What he was doing was nothing she was meant to get involved with the workings of such private training. It would be much easier for those two to just work on this themselves.

But then she remembered Masaru's words. She would be a big help with what he was doing. He believed that she would be able to help him. And for the chance for Naruto to see her was just too good of a chance to pass up. She was hoping that if he finally noticed her, she could work up the courage to finally confess her feelings for him.

With a hesitant nod, she accepted his offer.

"Okay. Good choice, Hinata-san. All I ask is that anything you learn about from us, you keep a secret. Me and Naruto aren't ready for this info to get out just yet." He got a hurried nod from her as a response. "Anyway. I call that we move this training elsewhere."

"Why, Masaru?" Naruto asked, wondering the purpose of such an action.

Masaru simply looked at him. "The forest has eyes, Naruto. I would prefer that we did this somewhere we won't be disturbed. I'm sure you know the place." He told Naruto.

Even though he didn't try to let it be known, he had attempted to tell Naruto that aside from Hinata, there was someone else spying on them at the moment. It wasn't any problem when he sensed Hinata, but this other person's stealth skills were on a whole other level.

Masaru, ever since he began running away from Shinosuke all those months ago, had to learn fast how to sense the chakra signatures of other people that were in the vicinity. It was the most important tool he possessed in staying alive. It was also through this sense that he managed to catch their spy. But he knew the person was no slouch in keeping their presence hidden, since he almost missed him as he was checking the area.

One other thing bothered him about their unwanted guest. After identifying that he was there, he began probing for the slightest of details. He felt a small spike of killer intent from him, but that was usually expected from someone out to get you. But that wasn't the problem.

The bothersome part, though, is that as he felt the potential opponent's chakra, he was surprised to find this person held two different sources of chakra. He was well aware that people only held one source of chakra, and sometimes a second source, but that was only in the case of a Jinchuriki. But what he was feeling was as if the two sources of chakra were not two complete sources of chakra, but rather two incomplete sources that made up one whole. Thinking about it a bit, he remembered reading once that such a thing was possible, but only in cases where the person has developed a split personality disorder.

Shaking his head from these thoughts from his head he turned to the two he hoped to make a couple. "Alright. We don't have all day you two."

* * *

It took then a bit of time, as well as making sure they didn't get spotted, they had made it into the grounds of the Enjin clan complex. Naruto asked why they came here, and he explained that coming here, where there was a barrier over the grounds preventing entry, made it the ideal place to train in secret. Hinata, however, was admiring the architecture of the once great home.

Well, that… and the visage of a certain blonde boy. Though she did have to ask.

"W-Where are going f-for the training here, Masaru-san?" She asked.

"I have to wonder that myself. I don't think such a ruined house would hold up very well for any kind of training." Naruto agreed.

Masaru saw the looks on their faces, and spoke up. "There's a courtyard in the back of the mansion. It's spacious enough that what we need to do won't hurt anything." He then showed them a path they could take to the back.

Naruto and Hinata gaped at the size of the courtyard when they reached the back. Masaru was exaggerating a little when he said it was spacious. Looking out, it was close to fifty yards in length on one side, and shaped as a hexagon, if the pillars at the edges were any indication. Big battles could be fought here with ease, and there would be plenty of space to maneuver. The stones used to pave the courtyard were unique in a sense. They were extremely sturdy, yet at the same time very soft. In Hinata's mind, it was theoretically possible to fight here barefoot, yet not have any foot problems later on. Pillars seemed to decorate the outer rim of the courtyard, up to about twenty yards in, and the inner circle was left clear. Probably the only other thing worth noting about this locale was that it was probably one of the only places on the estate that has been untouched by time.

Masaru only chuckled at their expressions. "I take it you like it?" Both Naruto and Hinata nodded at this. "Yeah, I reacted similarly when I saw it myself. Or rather, a shadow clone I had check it out reacted that way."

Naruto looked at him suspiciously. "What? It was a big place. Did you really think I would search it alone? And I didn't mention it when we met up again because my clones hadn't dispersed at that point yet, so I didn't know about it at the time."

Naruto sighed in defeat, and they made there way towards the inner ring of the courtyard. Masaru pulled out his scroll again, and made the block from earlier appear, though Naruto didn't remember him putting it away at any time.

"Okay, first. Hinata, turn on your Byakugan, and watch me." Masaru said in a sensei-like voice.

"O-Okay." She said, before performing the hand sign needed to call up her bloodline. "Byakugan!" Veins began to bulge up around her eyes. And observed Masaru's chakra system. She then observed how he was molding his chakra for the strings, and how they were being projected over to the wooden block. She took a good long moment to understand the structure of the chakra, and committed it to memory, since it would be necessary for her to help.

"Got it." She said, slightly more confidently than she normally spoke. Naruto picked on this pretty quickly.

"You should try to more confident like that, Hinata. You don't need to doubt your own abilities. You're strong. I know it." Naruto complimented.

Hinata unconsciously deactivated her Byakugan, and looked away slightly, though Masaru could see her face turn beet red. Naruto saw as well looked alarmed suddenly, and went over to her.

"Hinata-chan, are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever or something?" Naruto worriedly asked, placing his palm on her forehead. This touch of affection, combined with the fact he used the –chan suffix was just too much for her to bear, and she promptly passed out.

"Hinata!" Naruto quickly caught her in his arms. Masaru silently chuckled at his actions. "_If only he could she very obviously loves him._"

He saw Naruto looking at him, with a look asking for help. "She just fainted. Just give her a bit and she'll come to." He then brought his arms up to form a cross sign, and three shadow clones appeared at his sides.

Naruto, being as startled as ever, looked at him in surprise. "What're they for?"

"Well first off, Naruto, could you make a shadow clone quickly." Naruto quickly complied, and a shadow clone appeared at his side. One of Masaru's clones then pulled out a scroll from a coat pocket, and gestured for Naruto's clone to follow him. "That was for something our clones to work on. I know you want to restore the mansion, and I found a jutsu scroll in the archives yesterday that should serve our purposes."

"What is it?" Naruto excitedly asked. Masaru could tell Naruto was just a sucker for new jutsus.

"It's called the Time Reversal Jutsu. It works by creating a layer of chakra surrounding an inanimate object. Then, the jutsu sends the object itself back through time. If I understood it correctly, it should be able to repair the decay occurring to the various parts of the estate, by reversing the flow of time on them. I sent my clone with yours so that they could practice on learning the jutsu." Masaru explained.

Naruto looked at him curiously. "How come you didn't make more clones to learn it? And what do you mean it _should_ work?" He asked grumpily.

"I guess you used a lot of shadow clones to perform that wind element training, correct?" Naruto nodded. "When you used that, you were using multiple clones, each differently worked on using their chakra to perform some task. It was basically increasing the chances you'd get it right. Here, that's not necessary, since you didn't have any real guidance then. As for your second question, I only briefly skimmed over the content of the scroll, but that was the basic gist I got from it." He replied sheepishly.

"Alright, but what about your other two clones?" Naruto said, pointing at the two other clones.

Masaru turned to look at them, who nodded back to him. "Well, the first one will be going into the mansion to survey the damage that needs to be dealt with. The other one will be supervising your training once Hinata wakes up."

"What?! Then what will you be doing?" Naruto exclaimed rudely.

Masaru looked Naruto dead in the eyes, and Naruto could see he was in some sort of emotional turmoil. It took a moment before Masaru spoke up. "There are some things I need to sort going on in my head, that need to be taken care of, so I'll be in the estate's hot springs mulling it over."

Naruto nodded, understanding what was going on with his cousin somewhat. Then his mind caught up to his ears heard. "What do you mean hot springs?"

Masaru had a sly grin on his face. "Guess I forgot to mention that to you. There's a hot spring on the estate a little further back past the courtyard. The neat thing is that is that it is perfectly natural, and if I saw remember correctly, also happens to flow into the village's hot spring area. Anyway, see ya." Masaru said, before walking away from the Jinchuriki.

Said Jinchuriki was currently red with anger that he didn't tell him about the springs.

* * *

**Author's Note:** To be honest, I didn't intend to get the next chapter out as quickly as I did, but since this is the one year anniversary of when I first started the story, it wouldn't seem right if I didn't post a chapter this day.

About the chakra streams, I don't think the theory is too farfetched. I mean, Kankuro, Sasori, and Chiyo all use chakra strings, and it enables them to control their puppets perfectly, but I think there is more to it than just simply attaching the strings. If all it was as simple as attaching strings, then it would've been impossible for either Chiyo or Sasori to control every possible action of their puppets with just one string, regardless of how skilled they are. So it seemed right that the chakra completely fills the puppet instead of just attaching to it. The chakra stream idea was just the idea of it attaching to the surface.

As some people may have guessed, the person that was 'spyiing' on the trio was Zetsu. I'm not trying to put Masaru's abilities on par with that on Akatsuki, but it might seem like that. The only reason that Masaru could detect him when others couldn't was because he was a loner for a long time. To survive, he needed to be able to detect the presenses of those that might approach him. And there's also the fact that he's had several ninja chasing after him for months now, so that might've had something to do with that.

Hope you all liked that I brought Hinata into the story again. Over the course of the next few chapters, I'm gonna spend some time developing their relationship. They won't get to the 'OMG I luv u!' phase for quite a while yet. If I had a rough estimate, I'd say they'd get to expressing their feelings openly with each other sometime early in the second story (I haven't mentioned it before this, but the overall story will be a trilogy).

**New Jutsus**

Time Reversal Jutsu- By creating a layer of chakra around an object, it's possible to reverse the time flow on the object, allowing it to a state of being it had been in at some point in the past (i.e. making a blunt kunai sharp again). Note that this technique does not work on any living organism, so it can't be used to treat injuries. C-Rank

Next time: Chapter 26- More Training & Neji's Date

_Eyes of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


	27. More Training and Neji's Date

Chapter 26- More Training And Neji's Date

Masaru sighed as he made his way to the hot springs on the estate. It was in a pretty out of the way location, compared to other places nearby, but it did help give it a sense of privacy about it.

When he made it to the isolated spring, he noted with some peculiarity short stone mountains that were nearby. They weren't short in the sense that they were only a few feet tall, but rather about thirty to forty feet tall. Not tall enough to be mountains, but not short enough to just be rocks. Looking closely, he saw that they concealed the spring perfectly.

He stepped through the winding stone passage a bit half-mindedly. As he walked on, he began to feel a bit more at peace with himself, a sense of security and safety that he hadn't felt in a long time. It was puzzling, in the very least, that the springs could have such an effect on him. It felt like that he wouldn't care if someone saw him naked or not.

When he saw the spring itself, his silent question was answered. A simple heated pool lie before him, with a small pocket in the rocks allowing water to flow out at a slow rate, not enough to allow a person to really feel it though. He saw as well that it was not divided into two sides for men and women, as it traditionally is done. Looking up, he saw that the rocks had covered the spring perfectly, so no rain could come in and ruin anyone's time, but also set up so that the steam let off could still filter out perfectly, almost like most indoor hot springs.

"_Guess that means either some kind of genjutsu or seal is at work here. It makes a person completely comfortable with their naked body, regardless of how it looks. Guess if it's meant to be co-ed, then at least the women won't yell 'Pervert!' to any guys that happen to show up, since they won't mind if they see their body._" Masaru thought to himself, as he stared at the clouds, a little habit he picked up from Shikamaru.

Seeing that he didn't have anything to question at the moment, he decided to relax. He slowly began to take of his weapons, his coat, and afterwards the rest of his clothes, allowing his nude body to be exposed. He wasn't built like some bodybuilders he has seen in some of the other lands, just a medium build, but each and everywhere one would look, they would only see him packed with muscle, something that came with both being a ninja, and at the same time something that came with being a wanderer as he had been before coming to the village. If one would look at him now, they would probably think he looked like a Greek god…

Well, if you don't include the fact that along various parts of his body are a number of scars present. He absently minded traced his hand along one on his chest as he remembered how he acquired it, in that last time he encountered Shinosuke and his cronies. He still feels that he had gotten lucky he was able to survive that day. Though now he wonders if Shinosuke is still out there, waiting for him.

Without missing a step, he submerges himself in the hot spring, reveling in the feel of the heated water against his body. He felt like he could just let all of his worries just pass on by, he was feeling so good. After all, it wasn't everyday he had opportunities to relax like he did now.

Even though to anyone that may have seen him at this moment, it would seem as though he was relaxing and enjoying the spring, in reality he was in deep thought, trying to probe the depths of his own mind for answers to his own questions. And not in the general sense.

He had activated his Kannyugan, and allowed himself to enter his own mind, something that isn't often done. He asked his kaasan about this once in his youth, and she told him it takes a great deal of concentration and practice to enter your own mind, since it isn't typically something a person would do in any circumstances. But nonetheless, that was what he was doing.

Compared to Naruto's mind, Masaru's mind was much more organized. Instead of simply a vast region of darkness, there was a more elaborate display. His mind, after you got past the first room (which incidentally enough, looks the same in every person's mind), you would see a near endless expanse of sky. Everywhere you looked, up, down, forward, behind, left, right, each and every way you could see the sky, and the clouds strewn about in them. Idly, Masaru wondered exactly how much Shikamaru would enjoy being in such an environment.

The only things that were really keeping you from falling into the endless expanse of Masaru's mind were the walkways that had been scattered about. Taking the appearance of slightly worn away stones, it gave the feel of ruins that had been left behind in the sky.

Not that such thoughts really surprised Masaru. He remembered hearing the stories in years past of the ruins of a city lost within the sky. Many people had tried to find there way up to the lost city, but no one was ever able to find the gateway. Well, except Masaru anyway.

It had been completely by chance, but he stumbled upon the portal that enabled him to enter the Sky Ruins. Its appearance was not much unlike that of what his mind looked like right now; since he modeled his own mind after the things he saw that day. A city, doomed to forever be lost among the clouds, gained a new presence in the mind of one individual.

Shaking his memories of the ancient city from his mind, he began to go through the daunting task he originally set out to do. And that was to find answers to his questions in the memories of his ancestors, so he sought to locate the door in his own mind that held just that.

Navigating his own mind wasn't as tough as one would like to believe. Having done this many times in the past, Masaru had little to no trouble in locating where everything was located in his own inner space. Considering that he actually took the time to rearrange and redecorate, it would be difficult for him to not know where everything was. But considering he never truly went through his own door before, he never bothered to locate it before now. It took a quick sweep of his Kannyugan before he knew where he had to look.

With his destination already in mind, he set out to find the internal door that concealed the past. Masaru idly wondered how hard it would be to find a door that stood several stories high in a place like this.

Not very, apparently.

It took him only about five minutes of walking before he found the object of his search. Gazing upon it with active Kannyugan eyes, he saw it was roughly the same size as the door in Naruto's mind, and looked almost exactly the same, which just served as a reminder to him that they are related. Masaru then remembered his mother teaching him that his mother had taught him that all people are related to one another at some point in history. All life had to stem back to some originating point, which acted as the root of a giant tree where all people are the branches that create it.

The Kannyugan scan of the door revealed the weak point that Masaru needed to open door, which was roughly half way up its surface. Gathering his own energy he began to float up to where he needed to reach. This was another feature that Masaru liked about minds. In here, you were capable of doing whatever the hell you wanted. The laws of physics here were your own little play toy. If he wanted fish to fly around and play poker, then they flew around and played poker.

As luck would have it (whose luck is entirely based on your own point of view), a group of fish appeared not to far away, flying around, and were sitting at a table betting chips and playing poker. This small lapse in concentration nearly caused Masaru to fall flat on his ass.

"_Damn it, I need to stop doing that._" Masaru thought before making all the fish vanish. Focusing on the task at hand, he quickly delivered a quick strike to the point his doujutsu had shown him was the weak point. As the door was slowly opening, the apparent Enjin heir wondered why he wasn't able to do that in Naruto's mind. He thought for a moment before he came up with an answer.

"_Of course. His mind needs to set the laws that govern within its own space. That's not something I could very well easily do. It would've taken a considerable amount of chakra for me to exert such an influence on his mind, and we would've been forced out earlier than I would've liked._" Thinking about it a little more, he came to a conclusion. "_No. Even if I had a lot more chakra it wouldn't have been a good idea. His mind was already extremely unstable at that point, and pushing myself onto his mind like that would have very well broken him._"

He just filed that information to review at a later date when he saw the door fully open, to reveal the hallway that of doors that held the thoughts and feelings of his own predecessors. He groaned to himself as he realized that it would take him forever to sort through all of these memories, and find what he was looking for. He just wished there was a way to quickly find what he needed.

He let out another groan when he saw a table off to the side, which contained a notepad, a pen, a slot to insert paper into, and a set of instructions. Looking them over, he grinned as he realized that by simply writing what he was looking for on a slip of paper, and placing it into the slot, the doors would move around and arrange themselves, so that the only one that you were able to enter were the ones that held any information relevant to what you were looking for. He wondered briefly why he didn't do this in Naruto's mind, but simply chalked it up to not knowing about this nifty feature at the time.

Writing the words Yamanaka clan on one of the slips of paper, he placed the skip into the slot, and watched in awe as a number of the doors along the vast hallway all simply, 'floated' up into the air would be the best way to describe it. They seemed to just vanish into the ceiling of the endless expanse, as if they were never there, leaving only walls where the doors had previously occupied.

A shifting sound brought his attention to the locations that the remaining doors were located. If he hadn't been surprised enough times in the past few days, then he was definitely due for another surprise. The remaining apertures all just moved along the wall as if they were on a conveyor belt of some sorts, which in any form of physics made absolutely no sense. Then Masaru berated himself for not remembering that the impossible is very possible here.

So Masaru resigned himself to watch the doors as they moved in to places along the wall. Some of the doors lifted off of the ground in an elegant display, and some of them emerging off of the wall itself, as they arranged themselves into two straight lines of doors, each one equidistant from the next one in the set. It wouldn't take long for anyone to notice that the room looked essentially the same as it was before any kind of rearranging had occurred.

"_Took long enough. I thought I'd die of old age before this was done. Well, I've come this far, better not stop when I'm so close._" Masaru thought as he prepared himself to open up one of the doors.

* * *

Hinata could only blush as she watched her crush create a large horde of shadow clones, and saw them get to work on the chakra stream exercise that Masaru had shown him only moments ago. It was intoxicating for her to take in his form as he grunted in concentration trying to do the exercise just correctly.

The young Hyuga heiress would've been content to just sit there and watch him like this all day long, but then nothing would get done that way. Despite how good Naruto is, without proper guidance as he is controlling his chakra, he wouldn't make any real improvements. Kurenai-sensei had taught her that not all the exercises in the world could be done by just one person. Sometimes a second party needs to be present in order for any thing to be done.

Learning a genjutsu is a very good example of this. You could easily learn ninjutsu on your own, since the techniques will have a real physical effect on the environment, and the effectiveness of the jutsu would show what you need to improve on. Taijutsu could mostly be performed on your own, but just needs occasional help from another to show you where you need improvement.

Genjutsu, however, compared to the other two styles, is completely dependent upon another person to assist you. It is an impossible feat for a person to alter their own chakra flow to put themselves in a genjutsu, since the person is using their own chakra to adjust their own chakra. It won't have any apparent effect on their stimulus. Only when a person's chakra alters the flow of another person's chakra will there be any effect. Of course, you can't just use any random person and place genjutsu on them. They need to be aware you are trying to cast a genjutsu, but they must also be able to dispel it should something go haywire. When learning a specific genjutsu, it is often the best choice to ask the help of someone that already knows how to perform the jutsu you are trying to learn, since they will know how it is suppose to be done.

Chakra control, though not considered one of the three types of jutsus, is also considered to be something that needs supervision. Although it can be learned by yourself, it is easier if someone experienced in the exercise technique is present, since they would be able to correct you in what you are supposed to be doing. Either that, or the person is a Hyuga, who happened to be well learned in the ways of chakra.

With that thought in mind, Hinata activated her Byakugan and paid close attention to the chakra systems of each of the Naruto clones, and the original. As she carefully observed each body as they performed the chakra stream exercise, she compared the work they did to the display that Masaru had asked her to memorize.

His control of the streams had been absolutely perfect, with no errors anywhere in how he executed it. Years of experience probably was the reason he was so good at it. In spite of this, Naruto, who had just barely learned the exercise, was already quite adept at it. In her own mind, she supposed it was funny that someone like Masaru, who learned this over years, could be outdone by a person who just learned it.

Setting that aside, she noticed that there was a single problem that he was having that was keeping him from properly executing the stream efficiently. As he gathered the chakra towards the fingertips, some small wisps of chakra were seeping out from the tenketsu in his knuckles. Not anything that could be noticed by the human eye, but it had a subtle enough effect that it deteriorated the overall efficiency of the stream altogether.

As she observed the stream itself, it was pretty apparent to her all-seeing eyes that he was close to perfecting the control of the flow, but there was one problem that he had yet to overcome. He was directing his chakra rather forcefully down the path that he was trying to make it follow, probably due to his nature to use an excessive amount of force that most people wouldn't feel was necessary.

Yet Naruto didn't seem to be aware that forcing the chakra on its path was actually rupturing the 'tube' that it was traveling through, causing it to bleed out into the air, and destabilizing the overall structure of the entire stream. This little analysis seemed to be the reason why he hadn't made much problem.

Now the crux of the problem. How would she tell Naruto? She had always seem him as a source of inspiration for herself, a person to look towards to give herself confidence when she was doubting her own abilities, and find a strength she didn't know she had. It had helped her in the past, when she became confident enough to stand against her own cousin Neji, despite the fact she knew he was clearly the better, as well as the time when they had gone off to locate the Bikochu beetle. If she hadn't seen Naruto the way she did, there was no way she would've been able to pull off the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms Shield as effectively as she did.

Naruto had always been a person she could look up to even when they were in their early years at the Academy. She was always put down by her failures within her clan, as well as her father continuously admitting her weakness as the heir to the clan. Naruto had more or less been in the same boat as her, but where it knocked her down, he got back up and continued to persevere. It was this undying determination in himself that made her admire him, which eventually led into a fondness for the blonde, and from there into full blown love.

Yet it was her shyness that kept her from revealing her true feelings for the person she loved so much. The most prominent thing that kept her at bay was fear. Fear of being rejected by someone she loved so much could easily hold back her desire to get close to the boy just several feet away. If he didn't return her feelings, then she would feel as though as she may as well kill herself so that she wouldn't have to go through the pain of heartbreak.

And yet, she needed to be able to speak up to him now. Here he was, stuck on a technique that he needed in order to effectively utilize his bloodline from what she had heard. But with the way he was progressing, he was actually becoming less effective in his attempts to master it. If she didn't speak up, then he would never master the jutsu. But would he accept her advice, and maybe even her love?

It was at that moment that Hinata had an epiphany. If she brought up the information he need to perfect the chakra stream, then he might come to her for more assistance in the future. Perhaps, somewhere in this, they could work together in the future for mutual benefit. If it worked as she hoped, then she might finally have the courage to confess.

Finding the resolve that she needed, she turned towards her long-time crush.

"N-Naruto-kun." She said. Despite her resolve, she still couldn't help but stutter in front of people, especially Naruto.

The sudden sound from the Hyuga heiress made Naruto turn towards her. He was so caught up in his training that he had practically forgotten she was there. Then again, she was always so quiet that he probably would've forgotten that she was there anyways. Nevertheless, she was speaking to him. "Do you need something, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed at the attention she was getting, but she managed to keep herself from fainting. It wouldn't help that she needed to speak only to faint before doing so. "Um, the exercise y-you're d-doing. You're not doing it p-properly"

"Huh? I thought I was making a ton of progress with my shadow clones." Naruto exclaimed, surprised at this revelation.

Hinata quickly shook her head. "N-No. You're actually m-moving b-backwards. T-The glove on y-your hand s-should tell you that." Naruto looked down at the gloves he was wearing, and frowned when he saw that they were currently yellow with a tint of orange in them. Hinata hated the fact she had to lay on any bad news to him, but it would be for the best.

When Naruto looked up at Hinata again, he noticed for the first time that she had her Byakugan. Seeing those all-seeing eyes active, he remembered everything that they were capable of. Specifically their ability to see chakra.

"Hinata-chan, can you see what's causing my problems here? I could use the help." Naruto asked hopefully.

Hinata, for a brief moment, was surprised that he actually _asked_ for her help. It brought a light tinge of pink to her cheeks, but she felt slightly more relaxed now that she knew he needed her help.

"W-Well, the c-chakra you are using is n-not being used effectively enough. The tenketsu in y-your knuckles are letting off some energy that should be going to the s-stream. Also, y-you are trying t-to force the chakra through the stream, and not letting it flow through it naturally. That's why you're not making the progress you want." As Hinata was explaining what was wrong, her stuttering began to lessen. This went unnoticed by either teenager.

Naruto was a bit confused. "So, you're saying that I shouldn't use so much chakra?" He asked.

Hinata answered by shaking her head. "N-No. You're using enough chakra, b-but it's being used to forcefully. Let it flow more naturally, and you shouldn't have as much of a problem."

Naruto thought about what he had been doing before Hinata had stepped in. Since he actually took the time to think about it, he seemed to actually become aware of the fact that he had been forcing his chakra through his technique, just as she said. It's funny that way. He never would've noticed any problem doing the training jutsu unless she had said anything.

Taking her advice, he instructed his clones to follow the advice that had been given by Hinata, and they all began to create the chakra streams again. This time, instead of just blindly going at it like before, they began to pay attention to the energy that was going into its creation.

He then began to notice the chakra leaking out of his knuckles. He tried his hardest to keep it from exuding from the tenketsu situated at those points, but despite those efforts, he wasn't able to fully reduce the amount that was released from them. Mentally, he calculated he managed to reduce the amount to about one third of what it originally was. A good start.

Now the second problem, the stream itself. In this moment, he became aware of his own personality as a forceful person. He has always been someone that just rushed in and beat his opponents senseless, without holding back. This attitude of his carried over into just about everything he did, including his own chakra. The only times he worried about any kind of control were when he learned about tree-climbing and water-walking, In tree-climbing, he had yet to learn how to effectively channel chakra to his feet, producing less than was intended. In water-walking, he was able to force the amount necessary to stay afloat, but the five-pronged seal on his stomach at the time he learned kept him from balancing out the chakra between his two feet.

Every other technique he had ever learned had been more about producing substantial amounts of chakra then effectively controlling it. Even the Rasengan, which had a heavy emphasis on both power and control, to him was more power than control, since he used a clone to 'mold' the spinning chakra into a compact orb of destruction.

This technique however, required him to not overload on power like he is used to. Concentrating fully, he loosened his forceful control over his chakra. In doing this, he allowed it to flow freely through the tubes that had been created to hold the chakra, and was surprised to see how much easier it was to control than it was before. Looking at the glove, he saw that it had changed to a solid blue color. If he had gotten the chakra in his knuckles under control, it would have been perfect. But at the moment. He was just too happy.

"Alright! I did it!" Naruto shouted triumphantly, while jumping around excitedly. Hinata giggled at his antics. No matter how much he matured physically, he was still a child at heart, and could easily get excited when he made even a little bit of progress. She felt a slight pang in her heart, though, when it seemed like he had done all the work, with no help from her. It may have been her pride speaking, but she was at least hoping he would compliment her for the assistance.

That thought quickly left her mind when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her, hoist her up, and spin her around rapidly. The blood rapidly rushed to her cheeks when she realized Naruto was _hugging_ her.

Although the spinning didn't make her that dizzy, she was beginning to feel faint from being in her crush's arms like this. It didn't help her all that much when she felt the solid muscles that he had beneath his sweater. Muscles that he had developed over the years he had trained as a shinobi were now wrapped around her body, and wrapped up in her thoughts.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan. I couldn't have done it without you." Naruto said happily. She couldn't help but smile at his honesty, and not to far away, the shadow clone that Masaru had left behind was smiling as well.

Perhaps the most amazing part of the experience is that Hinata did not faint at all.

* * *

Masaru opened his eyes as he deactivated his Kannyugan, and left the recesses of his own mind. No matter how many times he has done it in the past, he always feels a slight dizzying feeling overcome him whenever he does it.

"Dammit! Why does this always happen?" Even though the feeling would pass in a moment it still irritated him to no end to have to keep going through it over and over again. It was like the itch that just didn't seem to go away in some sense.

Once the irritation passed, he collected his thoughts of what he learned in regards to the Yamanaka clan. The hatred that his own clan possessed towards them, in his opinion, was simply appalling to him. Part of it may have been rivalry, and part of it may have been justified, but it doesn't mean that you can't extend an olive branch to your brethren.

If his clan had lived that day over fifteen years ago, he wondered if he would be no different than the rest of his clan was towards them, but shook his head of that. If he thought like that, then he'd be no different than the accursed villagers who hate Naruto just for existing.

Regardless of this, he resolved to speak with Ino the next morning. The need to clear up the problems between them weighed heavily on him, and with the mission starting tomorrow as well, they can't afford to be distracted by each other.

Tomorrow.

* * *

Tenten fidgeted nervously as she was getting ready for her date with Neji. After they had finished their training session the previous day, they had agreed to go out the next day at 7:00 P.M. As for where they were gonna go to, well, Neji said that he would surprise her, and she was hoping she would be surprised.

They had decided beforehand that they were going to be going on a more casual date that was slightly formal, so she opted to wear a pink sweater that clung nicely to her frame, accentuating her curves in all the right places. Alongside the sweater, she wore a pair of low-rise jeans that fit snuggly up against her butt to give off that sensual appeal, which she hoped Neji would just love.

What was perhaps the biggest thing that she had done was that she decided to not wear her hair in buns that evening, but just let it fall down behind her head, and place clips there so that it would fall into three strands. Since she hadn't cut her hair for a few years, her hair fell almost all the way down to her lower back. A little odd, but she wanted to something different for a change, and she was sure her date wouldn't mind it either. The truth was that no member of her team had ever seen her with any hairstyle other than her buns.

It didn't seem like it was too big of a deal, but this is a date with Neji she was talking about. She didn't want him to see the calm, collected side of her that had only been displayed when they were doing their job. She wanted him to see the real Tenten, the girl, not Tenten the kunoichi.

Being forced to suppress her emotions in her profession, she couldn't help but be excited at the chance to express herself, something she hasn't truly done in years. She could only hope that this date went smoothly.

She was so nervous about how the date would go, she almost didn't hear a knock at her door. Trying to push her anxiety aside, she opened the door to reveal Neji standing there, with a smile on his face, and obviously holding something behind his back.

"Hello, Neji-kun. Please come on in." Neji politely nodded, and walked into her moderately lit home, and she was able to see him clearly. To her, it seemed like his attire was not much different from her own. He wore a pair of jeans that seemed to fit a bit loosely on him. Complementing the jeans was a dark red sweater that was similar to the color of blood. A couple of thin purple stripes crossed over along the chest area. Looking up at his face she saw that he was wearing a dark bandanna. Normally such a thing would be frowned upon, but considering she knew that the Caged Bird Seal adorned his forehead, she would let it slide by.

She was a surprised when he suddenly took her hand into his, and quickly gave it a kiss. Then he pulled the object from behind his back, revealing it to be a bouquet of some of the most beautiful roses that she had ever seen. Tenten didn't even try to hide her blush as she accepted the roses with a heart-warming smile.

"Thank you, Neji-kun. Let me just find a vase to put these roses in, and then we'll head out. Ok?" Seeing his nod, she immediately ran off to do as she said.

Although he had put up a good front, the truth was that Neji was just as nervous about this date as she was, although he was hiding it well enough. Once she fully left the room, he let out a small sigh. He knew this was going to be difficult for him. Missions he could do. They were very straight forward, and it was easy to do what you needed to do. Girls, and dates; not so easy. So much could go wrong with but the slightest mistake. In his honest opinion, he felt he could take on a thousand S-class missions before he could deal with a date with a girl.

Still, this was Tenten he was talking about. He built up the courage to ask her out on a date, and she accepted. He couldn't very well turn down the date at this point. It was obvious she was looking forward to this date as much as him, and it would pain both of them if he didn't show up. Well, she'd probably maim him with her various hidden weapons that he was certain she ad somewhere on her person. And if not that, there was still her bloodline, which was just as bad.

"So, are you ready to go, Neji-kun?" Neji apparently didn't notice Tenten reenter the room, nor see her pass by him so that she was by the front door. Damn! He needed to be more attentive than that.

"Sure, Tenten-chan." With a smile on her face, Tenten walked out the front door, and with having a bit of fun, swayed her hips a bit. She didn't need to turn around to see him, but she knew he was blushing from her little gesture.

After exiting her house, and locking up, Neji reached out and took hold of Tenten's hand in his own. "_Soft yet firm, probably from all the time she spent making weapons._" He thought as they were walking down the road.

"_His hand is incredibly soft. Then again, he does practice the _Gentle_ Fist style. It shouldn't be surprising._" Tenten thought. In her mind, things were going alright so far. Though she'd wish he talked more.

"So", she said drawing her date's attention. "What exactly do you have planned for this evening? It usually isn't like you to keep me in the dark."

Neji turned towards her with a small smirk. "Well, I was hoping to keep it a secret, but have you ever been to the Crimson Arrow?"

Tenten's eyes widened slightly at what he was saying. "No. It's a pretty high-class restaurant. Not to mention expensive. It would take me the salary of a couple B-rank missions to afford to eat there. If I had known we were eating there, I'd have worn something fancier."

"That wouldn't have been necessary. In fact, it's the reason I haven't told you before we were already going." The Hyuga said with a knowing smile. "Despite the Crimson Arrow's reputation as a five-star restaurant, people don't really dress formally when going there. It holds high quality food, but they don't hold a formal dress code, so it's a very relaxing atmosphere."

"You… really thought this out, didn't you?" Tenten said. Neji didn't answer, but still held the same smile. It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination.

* * *

"Hello there. Do you have a reservation?" The host of the Crimson Arrow spoke.

"Yes, the reservation is under 'Hyuga'" This caught the hosts, attention. So far, no member of the Hyuga clan had ever dined at this restaurant. He quickly looked at the list, and saw what he was looking for.

"Yes, of course. Right this way, Hyuga-sama." He said in a polite and calm manner, though Neji could detect an underlying tone of surprise.

Dinner was a very straightforward affair for the young to-be couple. There was an exchange of idle talk on a number of different topics. They started off with getting to know each other better, by asking about simple things such as what each other's personal tastes were, as well as what they like and dislike. Soon after this was when their meals arrived. It was a bit after this they began to speak of and offered their own opinions on some things occurring in and out of the Fire Country.

"Did you hear about that marriage of the heir of that clan in the Earth Country to the feudal lord's daughter in the Waterfall Country?" Neji had offered to Tenten.

Tenten thought for a moment before a light bulb went off in her head. "Oh yeah! I think I heard something along those lines. Wasn't it supposed to foster some kind of alliance for the two nations?"

Neji nodded. "That's what they said it is for, but honestly, I think it's more to cause a rift between Waterfall and Konoha." He said, and Tenten had asked why he thought that. "Well, it's simple when you really think about it. Our two villages are allies, and have been for about three years now. Despite the alliance, it is only being held together on very shaky grounds. To be honest, I don't know specifically why or how it's being held together."

Neji took a sip of his tea before continuing. "Anyway, the Stone Village is aware of the obvious rift between the two villages, and for what I assume are ridiculous reasons, still holds a grudge against us for losing a war that occurred about sixteen years ago. They'd do just about anything they can to get at us, so it wouldn't be surprising they'd try to make an alliance with a nation that is an ally of us, and use the political connections to do what they could to force apart our alliance with them."

Tenten was a bit surprised she didn't think of it like that, but she supposed that as a member of the Hyuga clan, he's had more time to witness the effects of arranged marriages on the alliances of villages. It was often a tactic used by nations so that they could gain some level of influence over the politics of the other nations. Though she didn't fully comprehend every thing that she learned, she'd have plenty of time later on to go over it.

After the two had finished, Neji gladly paid the bill with his own money (something that surprised her, since she was sure he'd charge it to his clan), and the two of them made their way to the next destination.

"A club?" Tenten seemed surprised by the choice of locations.

"What? You expect me to act like nobility all the time. It's calming to come to places like this every once in a while. If he wasn't the head of the clan, I'm sure Hiashi-sama would come to a place like this." Neji defended. Tenten giggled at the mental image of Hiashi coming to a place like this and busting loose.

"So, care to dance, milady?" Neji replied in a mocking formal tone. Tenten wore a playful smile on her face and let her crush lead her out onto the dance floor.

Even though the two of them had never been dancing, soon enough, they were tearing up the dance floor with many insane moves; acrobatic feats that would put break-dancers to shame. Several people had attempted to 'challenge' the duo in a dance-off, but each of them was beaten with apparent ease.

Around midnight, they decided to call it a night, in order to get enough sleep for the next day. They had already been informed by Gai-sensei that Lee would be going out on a mission with three others the next day, and wanted them to be there for one more training session before he left. This was typical of Gai. Each time any of them went on a mission without the others, they were pretty much expected to show up for an early session, rather than the ones that occurred later in the morning. They didn't understand exactly why they did it, but they believed their sensei believed it was sort of like a 'good-luck charm' of sorts.

It wasn't long before they arrived back at Tenten's house, and it seemed as though they were both just as nervous ass the date began. So many questions were running through their heads, but most importantly was: Did the date go as well as I wanted?

They stopped on her doorstep, still holding each other's hand as they did as they were walking home from the club. Both of them were smiling at each other, though Neji was beginning to blush a bit, and was starting to sweat a bit. He didn't know what to do!

"I had a really great time tonight, Neji-kun." Tenten said politely. At this point, he was no longer thinking, but acting.

"Likewise, Tenten-chan. I'm hoping that we could do this again sometime." Neji said, fighting off his blush.

"I'm gonna hold you to that. Goodnight, Neji-kun." In a blur of movement that was too fast to follow, Tenten reached out and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before racing swiftly into her house. Not knowing, what to do, Neji daftly rubbed his cheek where he was kissed as he made his way back to the Hyuga estate.

The next morning, the other members of their team would rant on about their 'flames of youth.'

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the extremely long delay in getting this chapter out, but there was so much going on in my life that I haven't really had the time to be focusing much on this story. Plus, there was also a severe case of writer's block in writing out this chapter. (Particularly when it came to the date, since it isn't something I've written before, and even now I don't think it worked out as well as I had hoped). Nonetheless, any criticism towards how I did things would be appreciated.

That little scene mentioning Iwa in the story I don't think will hold much effect on the story, but I might considering using it to some extent in the future. (I already am using Iwa for a few things in my story anyway, so another won't hurt too much.)

It probably doesn't need much to be said, but regardless of the event that have occurred in the manga recently since the last time I posted a chapter, I'm not gonna work with the Uchiha clan with the way they were presented in the manga (a bunch of traitors to the village). Their role in my story is gonna be different than what is in canon.

Despite the lack of time I've got to work on this story, I'll try and do what I can to work on it more often, but my writer's block is still working against me for the next chapter, so I can't say when it will be released.

Next Time: Haven't thought of a title yet. Sorry

_Eyes of Truth_

Don't forget to review.


End file.
